Co-host & Organising PartnerNEW2AN 2026 · Colombo · 15–17 December 2026

Centre for Research and Innovation Services

Research that moves Sri Lanka forward.

CRIS is a non-profit company limited by guarantee, dedicated to advancing multidisciplinary research and innovation spanning science, technology, social sciences and beyond through partnerships at home and abroad.

Founded
2018
Structure
Non-profit
Focus
R&D

Co-host & Organising Partner

Bringing NEW2AN to Colombo  15–17 December 2026.

CRIS is proud to co-host and organise the next edition of NEW2AN — a long-running international conference on Next Generation Wired/Wireless Networking and Smart Spaces. For 2026, the conference comes to Colombo, Sri Lanka, bringing global researchers together with our regional innovation community.

Dates
15–17 Dec 2026
Location
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Role
Co-host · Organiser
NEW2AN 2026 conference banner

About

A platform for inventors, researchers and partners.

The Centre for Research and Innovation Services was incorporated in 2018 as a guarantee-limited company under the Companies Act of Sri Lanka. Originally focused on science and technology, our portfolio has since expanded to include a broad spectrum of disciplines including arts, humanities and social sciences bringing researchers together to share expertise, accelerate knowledge transfer, and create solutions with real social impact.

CRIS facilitates partnerships, secures funding pathways, and provides advisory and project management services that help ideas mature into deployable outcomes. We also offer research ethics review & training while we pursue formal accreditation locally and globally.

Objectives

Eleven mandates. One mission: accelerating Sri Lankan innovation.

01

Research & Development

Facilitating R&D across diverse disciplines in Sri Lanka and beyond.

02

Fueling Innovation

Promoting innovation through research to drive new inventions and ideas.

03

Multidisciplinary Forum

A space for researchers from every field to interact and share expertise.

04

Social Responsibility

Advancing knowledge with a clear commitment to the public good.

05

Global Partnerships

Building local and international R&D partnerships and funding channels.

06

Investment Access

Securing investment and funding opportunities for innovative ventures.

07

Expert Advisory

Specialist advisory services across emerging research and technology domains.

08

Product & Prototyping

Developing new product ideas and strategising prototyping pathways.

09

Market Research

Targeted market research into products, services and social outcomes.

10

Project Management

End-to-end management of research and product development projects.

11

Capacity Building

Capacity building across the scientific, technological and social ecosystem.

Services

What we offer to partners.

From early-stage ideation to full project execution, CRIS supports academia, industry, government and civil society with end-to-end research services.

  • 1. Multidisciplinary collaboration

    Cross-disciplinary teams assembled around real-world problems.

  • 2. International partnership brokering

    Linking local teams with global institutions and collaborators.

  • 3. Funding & investment facilitation

    Connecting researchers and ventures to grants, donors and capital.

  • 4. R&D project management

    Disciplined delivery of research and product development programs.

  • 5. Prototyping & product strategy

    Pathways from concept to validated, working prototype.

  • 6. Ethical clearance for research

    Advisory IRB-style review and guidance for Sri Lankan researchers, while CRIS pursues formal accreditation locally and globally.

  • 7. Technical & scientific advisory

    Specialist guidance across science, engineering and applied research domains.

  • 8. Market research

    Targeted research into technology products, services and emerging sectors.

  • 9. Capacity building & training

    Workshops, training and ecosystem development for researchers.

Membership

Join a community advancing Sri Lankan research.

CRIS membership opens access to a multidisciplinary network of researchers, institutions and industry with opportunities to collaborate, learn and lead.

Become a member →

Individual Member

Researchers & professionals
  • Access to the multidisciplinary CRIS network
  • Invitations to events, forums and workshops
  • Opportunities to join collaborative projects

Student / Early-career

Students and emerging researchers
  • Mentorship from senior researchers
  • Priority access to capacity-building programs
  • Exposure to live R&D projects

Institutional / Corporate

Universities, industry & agencies
  • Dedicated partnership channels
  • Advisory and consulting access
  • Co-funded R&D and innovation pipelines

Operational Team

The people running CRIS day-to-day.

Our operational leadership drives execution across research, ethics, finance, partnerships and innovation translating CRIS's mandate into delivered outcomes.

View Board of Directors & Founders →

Academic Affairs & Ethics Lead

Dr. Saisanthani Sridharan

Project Execution & Finance Lead

Umanda Wijesundara

Senior Research & Innovation Manager

Anushka Panawenna

Ecosystem and Alliances Lead

Dinusha Kornkaduwa

Senior Operations Manager

Manodya Nabadawewa

Collaborators

Proudly based at TRACE Expert City.

CRIS works alongside TRACE Expert City, Colombo's hub for technology, research and innovation enterprises as a key collaborator and host.

TRACE Expert City logo

Contact

Let's build the next breakthrough together.

Whether you're a researcher, institution or industry partner we'd like to hear from you.

Address
Bay X, TRACE Expert City,
Colombo 10, Sri Lanka
Write to us →