The Annual Awards Ceremony of the National Science Foundation, “NSF Awards 2024”, was held on 16th July 2025 at Lotus Hall, BMICH. As one of the most iconic events in the NSF calendar, the ceremony was organized to recognize outstanding achievements of researchers under several award schemes. The event was graced by Hon. Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena, as the Chief Guest and Prof. Gomika Udugamasooriya, Senior Advisor to the President on Science and Technology as the Guest of Honour, while Mr. Y. L. Mohamed Navavi Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology attended as the Special Guest.
This year, the awards were presented under three categories namely NSF Research Awards, Support Scheme for Supervision of Research Degrees (SUSRED) Awards and Highly Cited Paper Awards (HCP).
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the NSF Research Awards, originally launched in 1984 as Merit Awards, to honour researchers who have made significant contributions to scientific advancement through NSF-funded projects. This year, outstanding eight research projects were accoladed with NSF Research Award, whilst six projects were recognized with Certificates of Commendation where fifty researchers were recognized for excellence in outstanding performance.
Recognizing the importance of critical mass, a skillful and qualified R&D workforce in building a robust research, development, and innovation ecosystem, the SUSRED Awards, initiated in 2011, continue to be the only National Award that honours outstanding scientists in supervising postgraduate research in all areas of science and technology, including social sciences. This year, 21 awards were presented to 54 researchers from 14 universities and research institutes across the country.
The newly introduced Highly Cited Paper Awards (HCPA) is aimed at recognizing impactful scientific contributions published in the Journal of the National Science Foundation (JNSF) and the Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences (SLJSS). Four teams received this award under local and foreign author categories.
Awards Winners
The ceremony was attended by over 250 participants from universities and research institutions, making it a truly memorable and inspiring celebration of Sri Lanka’s scientific excellence. The event was organized by the Research Division under the guidance of Dr Sepalika Sudasinghe, Director General, NSF.
Team behind the event's success (NSF Staff)
