- Successful university collaborations reinforce Port City Colombo’s dual role as an investment catalyst and a champion of Sri Lanka’s emerging talent
- Port City Colombo’s Education Cluster is designed to provide high-quality education opportunities closer to home
Building on its commitment to support the nation’s long-term economic renewal, Port City Colombo—Sri Lanka’s first multi-services Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and landmark Public-Private Partnership—has opened its doors to academia, giving students insight into its vision and scale and showing how its development can create avenues for new opportunities at home.
“A nation’s true progress is not measured by the number of skyscrapers it builds, but by the capacity of its people to envision, lead, and sustain its future. While Port City Colombo’s mandate is to bring world-class investment to fuel national progress, we believe investing in Sri Lanka’s future generation is equally vital—empowering young talent today will pave the way for a knowledge-driven economy and help shape the country’s trajectory for generations to come,” said Xiong Hongfeng, Managing Director, CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd.
Education has long been a national strength for Sri Lanka, with a literacy rate of over 92%—one of the highest in South Asia. Each year, the country produces highly capable graduates who are globally recognised for their skills and competitiveness. Yet more than half seek opportunities abroad, underscoring the challenge of brain drain.
Since early 2025, Port City Colombo has responded by engaging with the academic community, delivering initiatives that equip students and faculty from universities across Sri Lanka with valuable insights into the economic potential of the country’s first SEZ. These efforts aim to encourage students to pursue opportunities in the country and to position Colombo as a regional hub for world-class learning.
Port City Colombo has undertaken several initiatives, notably working with the University of Moratuwa on the Smart City Ideathon: Innovate, Plan, and Transform Urban Futures of Port City Colombo, which empowered students to develop innovative urban solutions. It has also collaborated with the University of Sri Jayewardenepura on several key activities such as supporting a joint symposium with Zhejiang Shuren University (China), co-authoring a SCOPUS-indexed case study on Port City Colombo’s role as an investment hub (soon to be published by Nova Publishers, UK), and working with the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce to deliver workshops ahead of the 21st International Conference on Business Management (ICBM) 2025.
In addition to these collaborations, Port City Colombo has welcomed students and faculty from leading Sri Lankan universities to its Sales Gallery for informative briefings, offering a first-hand look at the project’s vision. These efforts have created pathways for students to engage directly with the project, providing them with practical perspectives on the potential of large-scale infrastructure development, advanced city-planning concepts, and the broader aspirations behind the Special Economic Zone.
Among the key highlights of these university engagements are:
- University of Colombo – Facilitated cross-border exchange with the Lahore School of Economics (Pakistan), fostering regional academic collaboration.
- University of Ruhuna – Introduced Public Policy students to applied exposure in infrastructure and geopolitics.
- Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka – Connected Geomatics students with city planning and investment case studies.
- South Eastern University of Sri Lanka – Engaged with the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts and Culture, to explore Port City Colombo’s role in the country’s long-term economic development.
- National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) – Hosted Port City 101, giving finance students first-hand insights into Port City Colombo’s regulatory framework.
- General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) – Enabled Civil Engineering students to connect academic projects with real-world infrastructure planning.
“Our engagement with local universities reflects our conviction that the future of Port City Colombo—and Sri Lanka—rests with its youth,” added Xiong. “By giving future professionals direct exposure to a real-world development on this scale, we provide practical context and confidence in the opportunities here at home and show how projects like Port City Colombo align with the country’s long-term economic objectives.”
Within Port City Colombo, plans are underway for a purpose-built Education Cluster designed to meet local demand while attracting learners from across South Asia. The cluster will include an International School and an International University, creating a vibrant ecosystem that offers high-quality local alternatives to overseas education and helps reduce brain drain by encouraging capable graduates to pursue opportunities at home. Together with Port City Colombo’s ongoing collaborations with universities, this initiative reflects the project’s broader vision to attract strategic investment, strengthen human capital growth, and drive long-term competitiveness to power Sri Lanka’s economic revival.To learn more about the investment opportunities at Port City Colombo, please visit www.portcitycolombo.lk. For information on Single Window Investment Facilitation and regulatory matters, please visit www.portcitycolombo.gov.lk.