📈 Bridging Academia & Industry to Drive Sri Lanka's SME Growth

• Economic Reality: SMEs contribute 52% to Sri Lanka's GDP and 45% to employment. With 1M youth entering the workforce over the next decade against just 300K expected formal jobs, university-industry partnerships are critical for job creation. • National Target: The National SME Strategy Framework (SME NEXUS) aims to boost the sector's GDP contribution from 52% to 80% through digital enablement, incubation, value-chain integration, and growth finance. • Industry Case Studies: • SLIIT's Bentley CAE Research Unit secured over US$ 0.33 Mn in funding across 20+ projects for UK-based Bentley Motors. • Student-led innovations highlight growth potential across ICT/BPM, AI tools, and tech-driven solutions (e.g., Team Akura's AI learning platform and SmartWheel AI navigation system). • Ecosystem Priorities: To build export-ready, technology-enabled enterprises, universities require deeper industry engagement through corporate mentorship, pilot environments, commercialization pathways, and IP protection.