SLYCAN Trust and Rajarata University of Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen institutional collaboration on research, knowledge development and capacity-building related to climate action and sustainable development.
The MoU was signed at Rajarata University premises on 15 October 2026 by Mr. Anura Sathurusinghe, Chief Operating Officer of SLYCAN Trust, and Prof. P.M.B. Jayathilaka, Vice Chancellor of Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.
Building on the existing relationship between the two institutions, the agreement provides a framework for joint research, policy engagement and other activities that draw on their respective expertise and networks.
Areas of collaboration under the MoU include sustainable food systems and plant-based proteins, climate change adaptation and resilience, climate-related loss and damage, and ethical, sustainable and climate-friendly entrepreneurship. The partnership will also focus on research, policy engagement and capacity-building to support food systems transformation and community-based approaches to climate resilience.
Further, the partnership will create opportunities for students, researchers and young entrepreneurs to connect academic research with practical applications, particularly in sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation. This work could draw on existing initiatives and networks of both institutions.
“We see this partnership as an opportunity to build a longer-term collaboration that draws on the strengths and experience of both institutions. We hope to develop a shared understanding of where our priorities align and identify ways in which we can contribute to each other's work. This is an important starting point for building a partnership that can grow and evolve over time,” said Anura Sathurusinghe, Chief Operating Officer of SLYCAN Trust.
“Rajarata University has expertise across several faculties and departments, including our Centre for Excellence in Climate Change Studies, which can contribute to this collaboration. We would like to identify key areas of collaboration where our academics and students can actively contribute. Having a clear roadmap for the next three to five years would help us bring together expertise from across the university and take this partnership forward in a more focused and meaningful way,” said Vice Chancellor Prof. P.M.B. Jayathilaka.
Ms. S. C. Herath, Registrar, and Prof. M. H. J. P. Gunarathna, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, signed as witnesses on behalf of Rajarata University, while Indika Sakalasooriya, Manager, Communications and Outreach, and Thilini Gunathilake, Researcher and Junior Manager, Youth Programmes, signed as witnesses on behalf of SLYCAN Trust. Dr. Chinthaka Karalliyadda, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Systems, who initiated and facilitated the partnership, also attended the ceremony.
The partnership forms part of SLYCAN Trust's broader engagement with academic and research institutions to support evidence-based research, knowledge exchange and capacity-building on climate change and sustainable development.
Image Caption : Mr. Anura Sathurusinghe, Chief Operating Officer of SLYCAN Trust (left), and Prof. P.M.B. Jayathilaka, Vice Chancellor of Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, exchanging the signed MoU at Rajarata University on 15 October 2026.
