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Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEFENI)

Purpose

To Promote Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Nation

About Us

The Department of Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura is uniquely positioned to provide courses and research on a broad range of topics along entrepreneurship. Further, understanding the fundamental importance of the fact that the University should be a catalyst for innovation rather than a system which encourages traditional learning mechanisms, the Department of Entrepreneurship established the esteemed unit called Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEFENI). CEFENI provides a platform for the development of an entrepreneurial culture through promoting entrepreneurship and innovation within the nation. This center will provide sound exposure to budding entrepreneurs from the inception through to the fulfillment of their ultimate dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

 

The Goals of Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation: 

  • To be the enabler in fostering innovations and entrepreneurship across Sri Lanka to a level that affects the cultural orientation.
  • To create a new breed of young entrepreneurs who will become contributors to the national economy.
  • To bridge the gap between academia, business and government in the entrepreneurial arena and increase knowledge transfer in all directions.
  • To act as the central hub of the network of entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, potential entrepreneurs, schools, universities, public and private sector institutions and all other interested parties.
  • To inculcate an entrepreneurial culture within Sri Lanka.

 

Services

With guidance and directions from the expertise, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation  facilitates following services:

  • Facilitate business incubation for the budding entrepreneurs and new starters.
  • Act as a policy planner for national entrepreneurship development.
  • Operate as an information hub to provide necessary data and information to the required parties.
  • Create a linkage between researchers and entrepreneurs.
  • Conduct national entrepreneurship and innovations forums, research conferences and exhibitions to promote entrepreneurial culture.
  • Strengthen entrepreneurship education at the school and university level to inspire future generations of entrepreneurs.
  • Promote youth entrepreneurship through information forums, and mini- workshops on entrepreneurship and Enterprise development.
  • Facilitate to develop ideas and prototypes for inventors and innovators through a free idea lab or an idea incubator.
  • Engage in income generating activities for self-sustainability.

 

Beneficiaries

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation recognize the following parties as persons who could benefit from its services:

  • All university students
  • SME sector and large incumbent firms
  • Academic staff and the non-academic staff of the university
  • People who are willing to start business venture
  • General public who are interested in contributing the development of the country

Within this year, The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation center expects to

  1. Creating of at least 20 new businesses by the university students providing necessary infrastructure, seed funding and guidance.
  2. Creating 100 new startups by anyone interested from inside and outside of the university.
  3. Improve considerable number of SMEs to large scale.
  4. Innovating and improving products, services, processes and business models.
  5. Producing important research findings for the policy making and industry development.
  6. Developing human resources with skills and correct attitudes required to initiate and manage entrepreneurial business.

 

Contact details

Mr Rukmal Weerasinghe
Head
Department of Entrepreneurship
Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Sri Lanka

Office: 0112801098 / 0012758826

Mobile: 0718130843

Email:        rukmal@sjp.ac.lk
—————head.entrep@sjp.ac.lk