Korean university project helped Sri Lanka build pandemic lab

A South Korean university project helped Sri Lanka build its first immunology and molecular medicine department, which later became the country’s only infectious disease analysis center during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Education Ministry said Monday.

The project, led by Sungkyunkwan University, established the department at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in July 2020 as part of Korea’s university-based international cooperation program.

After the pandemic, the Sri Lankan government funded the creation of the Institute of Allergology and Immunology at the university, with construction completed in January 2026.

The Education Ministry said it would continue to support the institute by helping connect students with jobs and broaden the impact of its research.

The case was among the results reviewed under the Leading University Project for International Cooperation, a ministry program that currently supports 38 university teams in 16 countries.

Launched in 2012, the program provides up to 400 million won ($272,000) to each university team to help establish new departments in developing countries and train faculty members.

Monday’s review also cited two other cases.

From 2016 to 2022, Sogang University helped establish a department of chemistry in Indonesia.

During the same period, Korea University supported a medical school in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by helping create the country’s first department of environmental health. It also developed medical educational materials that were later adopted by 11 universities across Uzbekistan.

“The Leading University Project for International Cooperation is meaningful in that it helps improve education systems in partner countries and strengthens the foundation for self-sustaining talent development,” Lee Nan-young, director general for international education planning at the Education Ministry, said.

“We will continue to systematically manage successful cases and expand support for strengthening higher education capacity in partner countries,” she added.