Prof. Lilantha Samaranayake, Head of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering represented the University of Peradeniya as the Faculty Coordinator to the Business Linkage Incubation Innovation & Technology Transfer Office (BLII-TTO) of the University of Peradeniya and as the Director of the Multidisciplinary National Innovation Centre (MuNIC) of the University of Peradeniya in the US Tech Transfer Tour (7-18 December) organized by the US Department of Commerce together with the AHEAD project and sponsored by the US Department of State. The 20-member team consisted of the UGC Chairman, the Vice Chancellors of the University of Colombo, Sabaragamuwa, and Vavunia Universities, representatives of the Department of National Planning and the Ministry of Education together with the Directors with the University Business Linkages of the other national universities.

The US Tech Transfer Tour consisted of technical sessions in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the US Department of State in Washington DC, Cornell University Ithaca New York, and the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. The main focus of the entire program has been to share the experience, knowledge, and know-how in patenting, technology transferring, technology licensing, and setting up of spin-off companies out of university research.