University of Sri Jayewardenepura Wins Four Awards at the NBQSA National ICT Awards 2026
Feature photograph: University of Sri Jayewardenepura, used with credit to the University.
Undergraduate teams from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura have received four awards in the Tertiary Student Category at the NBQSA National ICT Awards 2026, earning recognition for technology projects designed to address challenges in healthcare, agriculture, accessibility and scientific research.
According to the University’s news release, published on 10 October 2026, the awards comprise one Silver Award and three Merit Awards. The projects demonstrate how research and technical expertise can be applied to practical needs, from supporting cardiovascular assessment to monitoring coconut plantations and helping researchers make informed solvent selections.
The Silver Award went to Cardexa, developed by students from the Faculty of Engineering. The Faculty also received Merit Awards for CocoGuard and ClearTone, while SolveMate, from the Faculty of Management Studies, received the third Merit Award.
Together, the results offer a welcome illustration of Sri Lankan undergraduates building technology with real-world applications. The healthcare and assistive technology projects, in particular, speak to issues that matter to communities in Sri Lanka and to Sri Lankans living overseas, where access to appropriate and affordable support remains an important concern.
Cardexa: AI designed to support cardiovascular assessment
Cardexa – An AI-Based Cardiac Angiogram and ECG Analysis System received a Silver Award. Developed by K. A. S. Prathibha, S. W. U. Sanjana and U. H. K. S. Herath, the project was supported by supervisors and mentors Dr. Udaya Wijenayake, Prof. Sajith Edirisinghe, Dr. Gayantha Kodagoda, Dr. Thisal Semina and Mr. Mayura Manawadu.
Cardexa is a clinician-in-the-loop AI system, trained using a local clinical dataset, that is designed to support cardiovascular assessment through the analysis of coronary angiograms and electrocardiograms (ECGs). Its functions include segmenting coronary vessels and identifying three major coronary arteries: the Left Anterior Descending (LAD), Left Circumflex (LCX) and Right Coronary Artery (RCA). It is also designed to measure coronary stenosis and convert paper-based ECGs into signals that can be analysed.
The system brings several tasks together in one platform. It compares ECG and angiogram findings to support evidence concordance, reconstructs three-dimensional coronary artery models from paired angiogram views, and produces visual PDF reports to assist clinical interpretation.
The project’s emphasis on keeping healthcare professionals at the centre of decision-making is significant. Cardexa is designed to provide clinically relevant insights as an aid to interpretation, rather than to displace the judgement and responsibility of clinicians.
Cardexa project team photograph from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura’s award announcement. Credit: University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
CocoGuard: applying drone analytics to coconut plantations
A Merit Award was presented to CocoGuard – AI Detection of Coconut Nutritional Deficiencies and Parasitic Infestations from Drone Images, another Faculty of Engineering project. The student team comprises D. R. K. Disanayaka, M. M. Muhthaseem and S. Yutheshtrran, with supervision from Dr. Udaya Wijenayake, Prof. Sajith Edirisinghe, Dr. Gayantha Kodagoda and Dr. Geethal Siriwardana.
CocoGuard is an end-to-end precision agriculture platform designed to automate plantation monitoring through drone-based video analytics and deep learning. Its two-stage AI inference pipeline detects coconut tree crowns and segments disease indicators for individual trees. The University reports a mean Average Precision score of 97 per cent (mAP@50) for tree-crown detection.
The platform also uses automated video stitching and inverse homography projection to turn aerial footage into geolocated, tree-level health records and interactive plantation maps. By producing treatment reports to guide targeted interventions, CocoGuard is intended to help plantation managers identify potential problems and respond more precisely, supporting efforts to mitigate crop losses.
The CocoGuard team’s work applies drone footage and AI to plantation monitoring. Credit: University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
ClearTone: mobile support for everyday communication
ClearTone – A Hearing Support Application for Enhanced Communication received a Merit Award. The Faculty of Engineering team consists of A. M. D. T. Adikari, S. V. Wedisinghe and W. A. D. Shenara. Their supervisors are Dr. Udaya Wijenayake, Prof. Sajith Edirisinghe, Dr. Gayantha Kodagoda and Dr. Akram Drahaman.
ClearTone is a smartphone-based application designed to assist people with hearing difficulties in everyday communication. Its functions include a self-administered hearing screening, personalised multiband sound amplification, speech-to-text and text-to-speech. The proposed support is delivered using a smartphone and connected earphones.
By exploring how these capabilities can be brought together in a mobile application, the project considers how hearing assistance might become more accessible, affordable and personalised. The concept is relevant to a broad range of users, including people who may benefit from practical communication tools in daily settings.
ClearTone is a smartphone-based hearing support project. Credit: University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
SolveMate: more informed solvent selection
The fourth recognition was a Merit Award for SolveMate, from the Faculty of Management Studies. The team members are Pramila Thamilselvan, P. A. Ruvin Tharinda Palihawadana, D. M. Nethini Bandara and Avindi Getawakanda, supervised by Ms. Upeksha Samarasinghe.
SolveMate is an AI-powered decision-support platform designed to help researchers identify compatible, safer and more sustainable solvents for polymers before conducting laboratory experiments. It brings together scientific compatibility analysis, machine learning and Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to support faster, more informed and evidence-based solvent-selection decisions.
By aiming to reduce unnecessary laboratory experimentation while making the reasoning behind recommendations more accessible, SolveMate applies digital tools to a specialised research challenge. Its approach also reflects the breadth of the University’s recognised projects: the awards span disciplines and demonstrate how information systems and AI can be applied beyond familiar software applications.
AI-generated illustration based on the source image, created to accompany the story.
A strong showing for student-led innovation
The University said the recognition highlights undergraduates’ ability to translate academic knowledge, research and technical expertise into innovative solutions for real-world problems. It also noted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, dedicated academic supervision and industry-relevant project development.
The four awards reflect that combination in different ways: clinical data and AI in Cardexa; aerial analytics and precision agriculture in CocoGuard; mobile accessibility in ClearTone; and explainable decision support for research in SolveMate. Each project addresses a distinct need, while all four illustrate the value of connecting university learning with practical challenges.
For Sri Lankan readers at home and abroad, the healthcare and assistive technology work is especially pertinent. Tools designed to support cardiovascular assessment and everyday communication have potential relevance across communities, while the agricultural and research projects show how locally developed technical capability can contribute to wider fields of application.
The University congratulated the award-winning students, supervisors and mentors. Their achievement is a positive reminder of the potential within Sri Lankan higher education: when student initiative is supported by research, collaboration and careful academic guidance, promising ideas can be shaped into purposeful technology.
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