Effective Utilization of Research and Inventions of Public Funded Institutions in Sri Lanka: A Patent Law Perspective

Abstract

The scientific and technological progress of a country depends vastly on the government’s actual approach towards promoting these factors. The right to development, a human right of the people of a country which is expected to be recognized and upheld by direct intervention of government, can also be achieved, to a certain extent, through the government’s direct involvement in the promotion of research and development (R&D). In one way, advancement of science and technology could be accelerated by promoting R&D in the private sector by means of liberalization of tax principles, providing incentives and encouragements to local and foreign investors and investments, imposing viable and firm intellectual property right system etc. In another way, promotion of R&D of a country can be expedited by providing government funds to state- run research institutions and universities which are traditionally molded on the conventional research system that does not basically encourage patent oriented researches or market and industry oriented inventions. Effective handling of public funded research by these institutions will further help to build up university-industry cooperation, patent oriented research environment in universities and cooperative research culture among university academics and national/international research institutions and industries. Having a system for ownership and licensing of patents on outputs of public funded research is a topic that has resulted in much debate among both developed and developing countries today.