Harnessing the Synergies of Academia and Industry in Sri Lanka

An inaugural symposium on Research for Transport and Logistics (R4TLI) was spearheaded by the Chartered Institute for Logistics and Transport (CILT) in Sri Lanka to foster a culture of research and development within the transport and logistics industry. The initiative was developed in conjunction with SLSTL in response to a growing understanding of the gulf that exists between the practice and research of transport and logistics in many developing countries

Amal Kumarage, CILT Council Member and Chairman of the Joint Organising Committee, said

The R4TLI Conference is a humble, yet significant beginning to harnessing the synergies of academia and industry in an effort to improve the performance of the transport and logistics industry

60 initial abstracts were received from authors ranging from international experts to students, and following consideration by an international review panel 40 papers were accepted for inclusion in the proceedings, with 20 authors being invited to submit full papers.

CILT Chairman Capt. Lasitha Cumaratunga said

I am encouraged by the very high response received for the call for abstracts which reflects the demand for such an opportunity

The T4TLI described their Conference as a response to the need to address the twin challenges of:

producing and delivering efficient transport and logistics services demanded through the production and consumption activities of the socio- economy so as to maximise contribution to the nation’s GDP
Minimising the derived necessity of transport and logistics services in the socio-economy given the negative externalities with which their production and delivery are associated

These challenges call for scientific endeavours in the transport and logistics industry to diagnose the issues it faces, to evolve innovative methods for industry wide adoption, to ensure continuous technological advancement, and to formulate and implement strategic plans and policies, in view of supporting it to emerge successful in the ever-intensifying competition of a business environment

Prof Chan Wirasinghe, Founding Dean (Emeritius) Schulich School of Engineering congratulated Prof Amal Kumarage and others for organising