The NSF supports R & D activities of Sri Lankan scientists in all fields of Science & Technology, the outputs and outcomes of which will ultimately benefit the Sri Lankan Society. Accordingly, the Competitive Research Grants facilitate and encourage scientists to carry out research of high standard, to strengthen the research base and promote R & D activities directed towards the socio-economic development of the country.  These grants are expected to facilitate and support basic and applied scientific research for socio economic development of the country while promoting capacity building of S & T personnel. It will also provide assistance to supplement the financial, physical and manpower resources available for scientific research in the scientists' own institutions.

At present there is very low output of postgraduate research degrees by the Sri Lankan universities. It is important to attract and encourage graduates from recognized universities to conduct fulltime research leading to research degrees in order to encourage them to take up careers related to research.

This grant scheme provides an opportunity for scientists / engineers with recent PhD or equivalent qualifications to carryout fulltime research within the country up to 2 years. This grant scheme provides an opportunity for scientists / engineers with recent PhD or equivalent qualifications to carryout fulltime research within the country up to 2 years. These grants are awarded in all fields of Science & Technology after comprehensive evaluation by the NSF. Applicants should have evidence of excellent research achievements and strong recommendations from two referees.

Laboratories with modern infrastructure facilities are needed for research to be in par with the global S & T research. Laboratories with modern infrastructure facilities are needed for research to be in par with the global S & T research. This scheme intends to assist the acquisition of equipment for research that is generally too costly to be purchased by the Research Institutions and Universities. Applications for grants are entertained throughout the year and evaluated quarterly.

Purchasing of spare parts for research equipment has become a major problem for universities and R & D institutions due to financial constraints. Purchasing of spare parts for research equipment has become a major problem for universities and R & D institutions due to financial constraints. In order to overcome this problem NSF initiated the Research spare parts grants scheme to enable the researchers to purchase the necessary spare parts to repair/maintain the equipments.

Research publications enable the sharing of the findings with others so that they can benefit from the new knowledge which has been discovered. Research publications enable the sharing of the findings with others so that they can benefit from the new knowledge which has been discovered. It also gives project findings the opportunity to be critically evaluated, reproduced and thus gains validity. Therefore the way to reach the widest audience is to publish the findings in a reputed journal. However, some reputed journals charge publication fees. As such, the NSF initiated this new grant scheme to support the publication fees for Sri Lankan Scientists whose papers have been accepted by reputed journals indexed in the Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index expanded and Social Science Citation Index as an encouragement for them, to ensure greater visibility for their R & D activities.

The scheme is specially designed to financially assist Sri Lankan scientists and technologists to attend scientific meetings, conferences, symposia, to present their research findings at international fora as well as to gain insights into the latest scientific and technological trends in the global arena. The requests for NSF support for overseas travel to attend scientific meetings/conferences are considered on the basis of three geographical regions. (i.e. SAARC, Asia- Pacific and Africa-America-Europe regions). Only resident Sri Lankan scientists and technologists are eligible to apply. Every application requires a strong recommendation from the Head of the Institute and should be linked to an on-going R&D activity. The NSF Overseas Travel Grants scheme would not cover training programmes/ purposes or participation at workshops. Please submit Overseas Special Training Programme (OSTP) application form for such purposes.

IPSAT is directed at promoting international research collaborations, technology transfer, and at obtaining expertise towards developing a globally-engaged research and scientific community in Sri Lanka. IPSAT will develop institutional capacities for meeting goals of the ST & I strategy.

International Partnerships for Science and Technology (IPSAT) is directed at promoting international research collaborations, technology transfer, and at obtaining expertise towards developing a globally-engaged research and scientific community in Sri Lanka. IPSAT will develop institutional capacities for meeting goals of the ST & I strategy .

NSF has initiated this grant scheme to financially support authors to publish books/monographs and other reading materials related to Science & Technology and to increase the availability of printed/online materials in Science and Technology relevant to local needs. Considering the importance of the publication to the local needs, qualifications/experience of the author in the related field, accuracy of content and the way of presentation, the grants will be provided.

Research publications enable the sharing of the findings with others so that they can benefit from the new knowledge which has been discovered. It also gives project findings the opportunity to be critically evaluated, reproduced and thus gains validity. Therefore the way to reach the widest audience is to publish the findings in a reputed journal. However, some reputed journals charge publication fees. As such, the NSF initiated this new grant scheme to support the publication fees for Sri Lankan Scientists whose papers have been accepted by reputed journals indexed in the Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index expanded and Social Science Citation Index as an encouragement for them, to ensure greater visibility for their R & D activities.

NSF Grant Scheme to support Science Education and Popularization Programmes organized by Schools and Universities. The National Science Foundation (NSF) provides financial support for programmes organized by schools and universities with the following objectives.

The objective of this programme is to provide an international exposure on trends in modern science, technology, research and innovation to Sri Lankan school children, teachers (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; STEM) and University Undergraduates in order to upgrade and improve their knowledge on science, technology and innovation to face the challenges of the modern world. The scheme is designed to facilitate and grant assistance to Sri Lankan school children, teachers, and University Undergraduates of science societies registered with the NSF to participate in internationally organized competitions (ex. Intel International Science and Engineering Fair- ISEF, International Olympiad etc.), seminars, conferences and training programmes related to science popularization and science education, and thereby to actively contribute in enhancing the quality of science and technology in Sri Lanka.