Mar 17, 2026Building bridges beyond Europe, the AIdesignTEX project continues to expand its international collaboration network. As part of these efforts, a delegation from Łódź University of Technology visited the University of Peradeniya to explore new opportunities for academic and research cooperation.
This visit was made possible thanks to the close collaboration with University of Stavanger and the strong engagement of Prof. Chandima Ratnayake, who played a key role in initiating and facilitating this connection.
The delegation from Lodz University of Technology included Prof. Katarzyna Grabowska, Dean of the Faculty of Material Technologies and Textile Design and Project Leader of AIdesignTEX; Prof. Monika Malinowska-Olszowy, Vice-Dean for Education; and Dr. Anna Bacciarelli-Ulacha, Project Administrator. They were joined by Prof. Chandima Ratnayake, representing the University of Stavanger.
During the visit, the delegation had the honour of meeting Prof. Terence Madhujith, Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, along with Prof. Lilantha Samaranayake, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and members of the academic staff.
The discussions opened the door to a wide range of future collaborations — from joint research and academic mobility to the development of new educational initiatives and international funding applications.
A particularly important part of the conversation focused on the challenges currently faced by the Sri Lankan textile and garment sector. Topics such as textile recycling, circular economy transformation, and compliance with evolving European sustainability regulations highlighted the shared responsibility and global dimension of these issues.
What made this meeting especially valuable was the strong interdisciplinary perspective. From engineering and materials science to agriculture, management, and social sciences, both sides identified multiple areas where knowledge exchange and joint innovation could bring tangible impact.
More than just a formal meeting, the visit marked the beginning of a promising partnership. It reaffirmed the importance of international collaboration in addressing complex global challenges and laid the foundation for future joint projects, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building activities.
"Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them."
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