Transdisciplinary Research: Bringing Knowledge Together for Greater Impact
Complex challenges in health, science, technology, and society rarely have solutions that can be developed within a single discipline. Transdisciplinary research brings together researchers, professionals, policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders from different fields to work collaboratively going beyond disciplinary boundaries to develop knowledge and solutions that address real-world problems.
Meeting on Transdisciplinary Research
A meeting on Transdisciplinary Research was held on 6 August 2026 at the National Science Foundation (NSF), bringing together experts from diverse academic, research, and policy backgrounds.
The meeting brought together expertise spanning medicine, health and social care, computing, science and technology policy, and research, creating an important platform to explore opportunities for collaborative and transdisciplinary research.
The discussion focused on the importance of bringing together diverse disciplines and perspectives to address complex societal challenges, strengthen research collaboration, and translate knowledge into meaningful real-world impact.
Participants
The meeting brought together:
Dr. Sudath Samaraweera – Chairman, National Science Foundation
Prof. Saroj Jayasinghe – Senior Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
Prof. Athula Sumathipala – Director, Institute for Research & Development in Health and Social Care
Prof. Prasad M. Jayaweera – Dean, Faculty of Computing, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Dr. R. D. Gunaratne – Former Director General, National Science and Technology Commission
Prof. Sumedha Jayanetti – Faculty of Technology, University of Colombo
Dr. Prasad Liyanage – Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Germany
Eng. Mahesh Dissanayake – Principal Scientific Officer, National Science Foundation
Mr. Wasantha Anuruddha – Head, Science and Technology Policy Research Division, National Science Foundation
Dr. J. G. Shantha Sriri – Additional Director, National Science Foundation
Ms. Pavani Abeysiri – Scientific Officer, National Science Foundation
The meeting represents an important step towards fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and developing research approaches that can generate meaningful and sustainable solutions to complex challenges.
