Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD)
The development of the higher education sector is of central importance to enable Sri Lanka to make the transition from a Lower-Middle Income Country (LMIC) to an Upper Middle-Income Country (UMIC). Recognizing this, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the World Bank have agreed to support the higher education sector through a Bank funded Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) operation.
The implementing agency is the Ministry of Higher Education and Culture Affairs (MHECA). The University Grants Commission (UGC) coordinates the activities of the universities. An Operations Monitoring and Support Team (OMST) coordinates and supports all AHEAD activities between the MHEH, UGC, and the universities.
AHEAD has three Results Areas:
Results Area 1: Increasing Enrollment in Priority Disciplines for Economic Development
Results Area 2: Improving the Quality of Higher Education
Results Area 3: Promoting Research, Development and Innovation
The objective of this results area is to increase enrollment in higher education programs of strategic importance for economic development. The expansion of enrollment in state Higher Education Institutions, will be focused mainly on the STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degree programs. The overall increase in enrollment will be promoted through a combination of demand- and supply-side initiatives.
Background
This results area aims to improve the quality of degree programs. The objective of this results area is to develop universities that deliver degree programs that promote a combination of academic excellence with high-quality socio-emotional skills, so that students are well prepared for the world of work and for wider civic and social life.
The following strategic actions will be used to achieve this objective:
Enriching Learning, Teaching and Assessment (ELTA) and English Language Skills Enhancement (ELSE) grants. A system of competitive grants for ELTA-ELSE will be established to support innovative approaches for the combined development of academic excellence and socio-emotional skills.
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences has been won an Allocation of Rs. 120 Mn. award and recognized the following five activities as the most required activities to enhance academic and socio-emotional skills and English language skill of its undergraduates.
Activity 01: Integrating entrepreneurial skills development into the teaching and learning process
Activity 02: Enhancing training and research opportunities
Activity 03: Upgrading facilities for improving practical exposure
Activity 04: Improving English Language skills
Activity 05: Enhancing personal and professional development of students
Staff
Project Coordinator:
Prof. D.A.M. De Silva
Activity Coordinators:
Dr. T.S.P. Jayaweera
Dr. G.D.K. Kumara
Mr. Sivashankar Pathmanathan
Mr. Sudantha Senadeera
Progress
Project Name: Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Value Creation In Higher Eduction
Amount of Allotted Funding: 120000000.00
Name of the Project Coordinator: Prof.D.A.M.De Silva
Name of Activity Coordinators:
Activity No 01:Prof.D.A.M.De Silva
Activity No 02:Dr.T.S.P.Jayaweera
Activity No 03:Dr.G.D.K.Kumara
Activity No 04:Mr.J.S.Senadeera
Activity No 05:Mr.P.Sivashankar
Name of Project Assistant: Ms.L.N.S.Silva
Postgraduate students and Researches are not funding under this Project.
Inventor-Investor linkage programme
Cargill's discussion
Tank Preparation (Aqua Culture)
Background
An Allocation of Rs. 20 Mn. award has been won by the Department of Agribusiness Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and has recognized the following five activities as the most required activities to enhance academic and socio-emotional skills and English language skill of its undergraduates.
Activity 1: Inculcating quality management principles for commercial level of Agri-Food Business creation
Activity 2: Strengthening the link between the industry and the Degree Programmes of B.Sc. in Food Business Management and B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences and Management
Activity 3: Enriching teaching and learning through improved OBE & LCT methods
Activity 4: Improving analytical skills through students centered learning
Activity 5: English language skill enhancement
Staff
Project Coordinator:
Dr. A. W. Wijeratne
Activity Coordinators:
Dr. S.H.P. Malkanthi
Ms. M.S. Elapata
Progress
Name of the project: Pathfinder of employability of graduates in Agri and Food business
Amount of allotted funding: Rs. 15,000,000.00
Team Leader/Project Coordinator: Dr. A. W. Wijeratne Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Agribusiness Management
Activity Coordinators: Dr. S.H.P. Malkanthi, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Agribusiness Management
Ms. M. S. Elapata, Lecturer (Probationary) Dept. of Agribusiness Management
Background
An Allocation of Rs. 15 Mn. award has been won by the Department of Export Agriculture. Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and has recognized the following five activities as the most required activities to enhance academic and socio-emotional skills and English language skill of its undergraduates.
Activity 1: Capacity enhancement of the staff and students in teaching, learning and assessments with special emphasis on outcome based education (OBE) and learner centered teaching (LCT)
Activity 2: Inculcation of research culture to the Department, strengthening and development of professional skills of both staff and students through collaboration with industries
Activity 3: Upgrading the existing farm to a model teaching and research farm
Activity 4: Plant germplasm conservation and establishment of a herbarium
Activity 5: Upgrading English language skills of undergraduates
Staff
Activity Team
Team Leader/ Project coordinator:
Dr. J B D A P Kumara, Lecturer, Department of Export Agriculture
Activity Coordinators:
1. Dr. J B D A P Kumara, Lecturer, Department of Export Agriculture
2. Prof. P.I. Yapa, Professor, Dept. of Export Agriculture
3. Mr. G A H Galahitigama, Lecturer (Probationary), Dept. of Export Agriculture
Progress
- Goods purchasing is in progress to purchase 37 different good items for the Department under the five activities in the project
- BOQ preparation process of refurbishment of an existing room to Gavel club office and Construction of a shed for Bio-fertilizer unit is in progress
Background
An incredible amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) is produced in Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the world. Consequently, effective and sustainable waste management system should be adopted in order to minimize negative consequences of garbage accumulation. The Black Solider Fly (Diptera: Hermetia illucens), a harmless insect proven enormous bio waste degradable ability and animal feed in worldwide.
Project aims to ease commitments to establish cleaner environment under greener economies allowing BSFL to accelerate decomposing of organic wastes to solidify the sustainable integrated organic farming system in Sri Lanka. Further, the utilization of Black Solider Fly larvae system to produce low cost feed grade animal protein.
Five basic objectives of the project
1. Preparation of commercialized BSFL (Hermetia illucens) units from domestic model to mass production model
2. BSFL as a substitute to fishmeal for commercial broiler feed (Gallus domesticus domesticus)
3. BSFL as a feed ingredient for pond fish culture
4. BSFL as a manure management/resource recovery tool Integrated farming
5. Investigation of sociological impact of the research and cost benefit analysis
Outcomes of the Project
1. Commercialization of domestic waste compost bin as a mass production model
2. Production of high valued feed grade protein as the replacer of fish meal in broiler feed
3. Production of high valued feed grade protein as the replacer of fish meal in aqua feed
4. Production of organic fertilizer, slurry and liquid fertilizer and healthy organic farm
products at commercial level
Staff
Project Coordinator: Dr. Manjula P Sumith Magamage
Deputy Coordinators: Dr. A.W. Wijerathna
The Research Team: Prof. PI. Yapa, Dr. TSP Jayaweera, Dr. (Mrs.) HAD Ruwandeepika,
Dr.M.A.J.P Munasinghe, Mr. G. Weerakkody, Dr. DD Wickramanayake
Dr. R.K Muthukumarana, Dr. C.N Walpita, Ms M.D.J.W Wijesinghe,
Mr. P.P.S.K Patabandi and Ms. R.N.N. Perera
Project Assistants: Ms. PK. Lakmini
Research Assistants: Ms. E.W.D.M. Ellawidana and Mr. M.K.C Priyadarshana
Progress
BSFL larvae brooding and installation of feed processing unit and broiler unit (In progress)
Background
Ceylon Cinnamon (Cinamomum Zylanicum (old botanical name)/ Cinamomum verum ) a plant indigenous to Sri Lanka is a moderately size bushy ever green tree. In traditional medicine Cinnamon is considered a remedy for respiratory, digestive and gynecological ailments (Ranasinghe et al. 2013). Sri Lanka is producing 70% of the global Pure Cinnamon production in the world being the largest producer. The Ceylon Cinnamon referred to as "sweet cinnamon “, “true cinnamon”, and “pure cinnamon" due to its superiority over the Cassia cinnamon variety in the global market (SLEDB 2018).Cinnamon grown and produced in Sri Lanka has acquired long standing reputation in the international market due to its unique, quality, color, flavor, and aroma associated with the geographical origin. In current global market, Cinnamomum cassia (Chinese cinnamon) is widely using over many products. However, Ceylon cinnamon has superior qualities to Cassia type. Limited efforts in value addition to Ceylon cinnamon cause to low level of income to the country and provide space to misuse the Ceylon cinnamon reputed brand name. Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) is a World Bank funded Sri Lankan government operation funded for the project “DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL BEVERAGE TYPES WITH CEYLON CINNAMON, (Cinnamomum zelanicum) (STEM) (AHEAD/RIC No : 16) under RIC (Research Innovation and Commercialization) project (LKR 50 millions).
Objectives
- Promote the pure cinnamon value-added products in the global market and being competitive as the producer of pure cinnamon.
- To innovate, improve, and expand Sri Lankan value added products in beverage industry with unique products as carbonated drinks, herbal teas, wine, and latte with Ceylon cinnamon.
- Identify the most applicable extraction method of pure cinnamon in food/ beverage applications that gives its optimum functional values.
- Develop a formula with healthy ingredients by appropriate combinations that gives a unique and satisfying flavors.
- Manufacture the suggested products in a safe, healthy, and sustainable manner, after the research and development process.
- Manufacture the products in an attractive and profitable way to approach high-end market.
- Introduce the products to the local exporters in the beverage industry
- Introduce the products to the high-end customer in foreign market starting from the East-Asian countries and expand to EU and USA markets.
Staff
Coordinator - Prof. D.A.M De Silva
Contact - +94718307499/ desilva.achini@yahoo.co.uk
Deputy Coordinator -Dr. R. K. C. Jeewanthi
Contact - +94774314067/ chatu03@gmail.com
Quality Experts -Dr. M.A.J.P Munasighe
Contact - jagath@agri.sab.ac.lk
Researcher - Ms. M.S Elapatha
Contact - +94710818599/ maheshwari.elapata@gmail.com
Researcher - Ms. K. K. H. M. Rathnayake
Contact - +94711538496/ kkhmr222rathnayake@gmail.com
Research Assistant -Mr. W.M.T.B Weddagala
Contact - +94713549462/ tharaka_92@hotmail.com
Research Assistant - Mr. Janaranjana Ekanayaka
Contact - +94712476733/ janaranjanaekanayaka@gmail.com
Postdoctoral fellow -Yet to recruit
Progress
Laboratory installation (In Progress)
Cinnamon extraction production (Completed)
Sensory panel training (1st Stage Completed)
Product formula finalization (2 products in progress)
Patent & Copyright application (completed for 2 products)
Publications
1) Communications (abstract) submitted
Weddagala, W.M.T.B., De Silva, D.A.M., Jeewanthi, R,K, C., and Rajapaksha, R.H.N. (2019, September). Investigate the Product Harms Crisis in Ceylon Cinnamon. Paper submitted to Agri-food 2019 Conference
(Submitted) (Presented) (Won Best Presenter Award of the Conference)
2) Number of research publications submitted to peer reviewed internationally indexed journals
Achini M. De Silva, Rends Jeewanthi, Heshani Rajapaksha, Tharaka B. Weddagala, Naoki Hirotsu, Jagath Munasinghe, Bun-ichi Shimizu (2019). Clean Vs Dirty Labels: Transparency And Authenticity of the Labels of Ceylon Cinnamon. Sustainable Alternatives for Food Preservatives and Additives: Frontiers, (Submitted)
3) Number of research publications as books or monographs submitted to reputed international publishers
Jeewanthi,R.K.C, De Silva, D.A.M. & Weddagala, W.M.T.B. (2019), Value Creation and
Food Products of Cinnamon, (Chapter 15), Germany, Springer.
Participated in
Shilpa Sena EXhibition ශිල්පසේනා 2019
InnoTech 2020 - National Innovation and Technology Exhibition
Agriculture, Agrotechnology and food technology Invention-Investor Linking Programme
Contact us
Director OTS | Senior Prof. R.P. Mahaliyanaarachchi Tel : +94(0)45 2280073 Email: rohanap@agri.sab.ac.lk |
Project Coordinators |
Senior Prof. A.A.Y. Amarasinghe Prof. D.A.M. De Silva Dr. A.W. Wijerathna |
Ahead Workshops
Below are five workshop details and applicants can follow documents and apply on them.
Common Information for Resource person applicants.
Common Information to Resource Persons - Download
Workshops - 2022
- Calling Applications for selecting a Suitable Resource Person for Conducting Online Workshop on Industrial Training Requirements - Year 2022
- Terms of Reference - Online Workshop on Industrial Training Requirements conducted by the Department of Agribusiness Management of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
Workshop Details
- TOR-Scientific Writing - Download
- TOR-Social Etiquettes - Download
- TOR-Statistical Analysis - Download
- TOR - Industrial Training Requirement - Download
- TOR- Research Writing Training - Download
Ahead Training Programs
Common Information for Resource person applicants.
Common Information to Resource Persons - Download