Our starting point all those years ago.
The Institute for Research and Development is an academic research institution which was established in 1997 as the Forum for Research and Development, and changed to Institute for Research and Development in 2000. It’s academic members include epidemiologists, psychiatrists, physicians, geneticists, veterinarians, public health specialists, ethicists, educationists, and people from many other disciplines. It has a full time research staff, and many other associates who are involved at various levels while employed in other academic institutions. We have networks of Sri Lankan and overseas academics, and academic institutions. Our mandate is to promote an overarching research culture in Sri Lanka; conducting multi-disciplinary research, working with people who will benefit from research, establishing strategic partnerships and to work for policy impact.
Our Vision
To bring together Sri Lankan scholars, academics and professionals from diverse disciplines living anywhere in the world, to carry out multidisciplinary research.
Our Mission
- Establish strategic partnerships.
- Work with people who will benefit from research.
- Influence policy makers.
- Facilitate multidisciplinary research.
- Promote an environment free of bureaucracy to carry out research.
Who are we ?
We are a group of concerned professionals who wish to see an overarching research culture in Sri Lanka. Although high impact research takes place in our country, it is fragmented and rarely transferred into policy and practice. Therefore we are working to achieve a paradigm shift in the thinking pattern and actions of the scientific and scholarly community to create a new strategic alliance among academics, scholars, professionals and the public to build a new research culture in Sri Lanka, so that the power of knowledge in science & technology could be mobilized to address the problems of the society using an evidence-based approach, which in turn is crucial for the sustainable development of the country. In short, our slogan is ‘Research for development and policy impact’.
Our History
Initially in 1997 we started as the Forum for Research and Development which was incorporated as a non-profit, independent, academic institution and a professional network. Later it was converted into the Institute for Research & Development. During initial years of conceptualization, we realized that an initiative with a different focus and emphasis was needed to rectify the contradictory gaps existing in Sri Lanka; even with a high literacy rate in the region, Sri Lanka lacked an overarching research culture. Therefore, we decided to bring all our activities under one organization.
Our Journey
Private office was turned into IRD office.
Shifted our office to a small rented house.
Moved again to another house.
Next we moved to another office space in Battaramulla, Colombo in 2005.
Finally moved to our current premises in 2009.
Executive Committee Members
Academic
Gaveshana Magazine
Finance
Administrative
Past Contributors & Beneficiaries
Awards, Recognitions & Orations
Awards
National Awards for Science and Technology Achievements (2018)
Prof. Athula Sumathipala for “Outstanding leadership in promoting and developing Science and Technology”.
The Institute for Research & Development in Health & Social Care for “Excellence in international collaboration for advancement of Science and Technology”.
President’s Award for Scientific Publication (2015)
Prof. Athula Sumathipala for highly rated scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year 2013.
Dr. Chesmal Siriwardhana for highly rated scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year 2013.
Dr. Anushka Adikari for highly rated scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year 2013.
Ms Gayani Pannal for highly rated scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year 2013.
President’s Award for Scientific Publication (2014)
Prof. Athula Sumathipala for highly rated scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year 2009.
Dr. Gominda Ponnamperuma for highly rated scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year 2014/2015.
Dr. Chesmal Siriwardhana for highly rated scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year 2010.
CNAPT Award for the Best Publication by the Sri Lanka Medical Association
2007: Sumathipala A, et al. CBT for MUS Training manual. Forum for Research and Development Publication, Colombo 2006. (ISBN 9558973017)
2001: Sumathipala A, et al. RCT of CBT for MUS in Sri Lanka. Psychological Medicine 2000; 30: 747-757.
Other Awards
2012: Ponnamperuma G, et al. A Script Concordance Test for Neurological Localization and Emergencies. 9th Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference (APMEC), National University of Singapore, Singapore. Awarded the Best Oral Presentation.
2010: Ponnamperuma G, et al. Refresher programme for the new interns : perception of participants. Presented at the 1st SEARAME International Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia. Selected as the Best Short Communication
2009: Ponnamperuma G, et al. Student perceptions of a portfolio assessment process. Medical Education 43: 89-98. Identified by the publisher as one of the most often downloaded articles.
2004: Samaraweera S, et al. A community based study on suicidal ideations and behaviours in Ratnapura District. 117th Anniversary Academic Sessions, Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2004;36. Won the Sir Frank Gunasekera Award for the best presentation in Community Medicine.
Recognitions
Prof. Athula Sumathipala: Emeritus Professor of Global Mental Health by Kings College London, UK. (2015)
Prof. Athula Sumathipala: HB Williams Traveling Professor of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. (2007)
Orations
Prof. Athula Sumatihpala: N.D.W. Lionel oration of the SLMA 136th Anniversary International Medical Congress. Title: Starting from scratch, the first and the largest twin research programme in a Low- and Middle-Income Country [LMIC]; the Sri Lankan Twin Registry, it’s research output and impact. (2023)
Dr. Chesmal Siriwardhana: Dr. S. Ramachandran Oration by the Sri Lanka Medical Association. Title: Epidemiology of migration and mental health in Sri Lanka: local insight for a global impact. (2015)
Prof. Athula Sumatihpala: Sir Marcus Fernando oration of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. Title: Depression: addressing the local burden in the context of global mental health. (2014)
Dr. Gominda Ponnamperuma: 6th Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Sri Lanka Oration. Title: An examination of exams to clarify the way forward. (2013)
Prof. Athula Sumatihpala: Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Sri Lanka Oration. Title: CBT for medically unexplained symptoms. (2011)
Current Collaborators
| CoTASS – Longitudinal Study | Training & Other Projects |
| Prof. Nicholas Glozier | Prof. Tina van Bortel |
| Prof. Matthew Hotopf | Prof. Jeffrey Mark Craig |
| Prof. Fruhling Rijsdijk | Dr. Jonathan Ives |
| Dr. Helena Zavos | Prof. Christian Mallen |
| Prof. Richard Saffery | |
| Prof. Atif Rahman | |
| Dr. Siham Sikandar | |
| Dr. Anna Cheumento |
Past Collaborators
The United Kingdom
Prof. Peter McGuffin
Prof. Martin Prince
Prof. Sir Graham Thornicroft
Prof. Clare Williams
Dr. Melani Abbas
Dr. Craig Morgan
Dr. Robert Stewart
Ms. Joanna Murray
Pakistan
Prof. Aasim Ahmed
Prof. Aamair Jafarey
India & the United Kingdom
Prof. Shah Ebrahim
Prof. Vikram Patel
India
Dr. Anant Bhan
Dr. Nandani Kumari
Singapore & the Philippines
Prof. Leo de Castro
Australia
Dr. Chanaka Wijeratne
Academic Institutions
Centre for Biomedicine & Society
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
USA
Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine
Sri Lanka
The Association of Professional
Sri Lankans in the UK
Funding
Funding & Donations
Donations
“Your small change for a big difference” is the slogan for our strategic campaign to raise funds for the research and related activities from the public, especially from the expatriate Sri Lankan community. However we intend doing it without any undue burden to those who are willing to make a contribution.
All of us leave our small change here and there because it is of little value in our day to day lives. But we can assure you that small change; whether it is cents or pennies, can make a real difference for our future generation because we can invest that small change for generating new knowledge either through research or inventions. New knowledge is becoming the power of the future. Asia is re-awakening through a knowledge-based economy. Invest your big money in established banks that will bring you profits but invest your small money with us and that will bring profits to you as well as to our future generation and to our nation. So invest in the future but without much cost to you. If you think that the way we think will make a difference for a big change please contact us. We will send you a specially designed till that will attract your small change, which otherwise would have been left idling. We assure you that we can make a difference.
Awarded Grants
2019
UK Research and Innovation | Medical Research Council – MRC Global Health Nutrition Developmental Grant MR/T00679X/1.
2018
Rufford Foundation – Phylogeny, Ecology and Conservation Status of the Endemic Skink Genus Lankascincus (Squamata: Scincidae) in Sri Lanka.
UK Research and Innovation | Medical Research Council – Establishing a child and adolescent twin register for research and capacity building on the etiology of mental illness in Sri Lanka and other LMICs.
2016
The Wellcome Trust UK – Public understandings of genomic research: a Sri-Lankan perspective of biobank participants at IRD.
Center for Disease Control (USA) – Integrating mental health into primary care for conflict affected internal forced migrants in Northern Sri Lanka (COMGAP-S).
2013
South Asian Hub for Advocacy, Research & Education on Mental Health (SHARE) – An intervention to improve mental health care for conflict-affected forced migrants in low-resource primary care settings: a WHO MhGAP-based pilot study in Sri Lanka (COM-GAP study).
2012
National Health & Medical Research Council Australia(NHMRC) – The University of Sydney as Collaborating Institution. A twin study on sleep duration, disturbance and physical activity levels – Prevalence and associations with depression, BMI and metabolic syndrome in Sri Lanka.
2011
The Wellcome Trust – The Colombo Twin and Singleton follow-up Study (COTASS 2); the overlap between metabolic syndrome and depression.
2010
International Organization on Migration – ‘Impact of spouse migration on the left behind family in Sri Lanka’.
The Wellcome Trust – Bioethics grant, Building capacity in Sri Lanka on veterinary ethics and policy.
The Wellcome Trust – Use of Behavioral Genetics to explore overlaps between depression and metabolic syndrome in Sri Lanka (The Colombo Twin and Singleton Study (CoTaSS) follow up).
2008
The Wellcome Trust – A supplementary grant, Population based Twin study on common mental disorders in Sri Lanka.
The Wellcome Trust – International engagement award Multiples and twins engaging in research through cultural activities.
The Wellcome Trust – Master’s Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
The Wellcome Trust – Bioethics grant; Building capacity in Sri Lanka to conduct research into ethical issues in health care and research.
2007
WHO Colombo – Development, execution and evaluation of a training programme for OPD doctors in Eastern province in Sri Lanka, for identification, treatment and referral of epilepsy, psychosis, severe depression, MUC and heavy alcohol use.
2006
The World Bank & Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka – Island wide mental health survey; community and school based, and attitude survey in Sri Lanka.
The Wellcome Trust – Bioethics grant; A conference grant for a meeting titled; ‘Disaster related research and ethics for the developing world in global context’.
The Wellcome Trust – A training grant for a basic and advanced course on bioethics titled ‘Ethics; a friend of research.
2005
WHO Colombo – Getting 15 years of research on medically unexplained symptoms into policy and practice; a poster, training manual and workshops in Sri Lanka (including evaluation of training).
2004
The Wellcome Trust – Bioethics grant; Projects grant (1 year) for the project titled ‘Informed consent in Sri Lanka; current practices, quality of the information leaflets, consent forms and participants understanding of the process.
2003
The Wellcome Trust – Bioethics grant; To hold a Bioethics training workshop in Sri Lanka.
The Wellcome Trust – A population based twin study on common mental disorders in Sri Lanka.
2002
The Wellcome Trust – An extension for RCTs of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for medically unexplained symptom.
2000
The Wellcome Trust – An International Research Initiative Grant for 2 years to carry out preliminary work of establishing a Population based Twin Registry in Sri Lanka.
1999
The Wellcome Trust – A randomized controlled trial of CBT Vs structured care for patients with medically unexplained symptoms in general medical care in Sri Lanka. CBT was administered by Primary care doctors.
1997
The Wellcome Trust – Pilot RCTs of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for medically unexplained symptoms.
Media Repository
Milestones on Our Journey
Our Local Network
Our International Network
