On August 15th, 2024, the University of Colombo and the Data and Advanced Analytics Division (OCTAVE) of John Keells Holdings PLC signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Senate Hall. The ceremony was honoured by the presence of Senior Professor (Chair) H D Karunaratne, Vice Chancellor of the University, and Mr Krishan Balendra, Chairperson-CEO/Executive Director of John Keells Holdings PLC.

OCTAVE, a leader in John Keells Group’s data-driven initiatives, brings extensive experience and expertise in data science, machine learning engineering, data engineering, and BI engineering. Over the years, OCTAVE has collaborated with the University of Colombo on various projects, including serving as the Knowledge Partner for the Data Science Hackathon at the International Conference in Data Science (ICDS 2023). This MoU formalizes the ongoing partnership between the University of Colombo and OCTAVE, paving the way for deeper collaboration.

The agreement outlines several mutual benefits for both institutions. Through this MoU, OCTAVE will engage with the University of Colombo on multiple new initiatives aimed at enhancing student experiences. These initiatives include offering internships, supervising final-year projects, delivering guest lectures, providing prioritized invitations to OCTAVE webinars and articles, and exploring potential research and development collaborations. These activities will be coordinated through the Department of Statistics at the University of Colombo.

The signing ceremony was attended by prominent representatives from both organizations, including Professor Upul Sonnadara, Dean of the Faculty of Science; Dr Rushan Abeygunawardana, Head of the Department of Statistics; Mr Yolan Seimon, Head of OCTAVE; Dr Rajitha Navarathna, Principal Data Scientist at OCTAVE; Mr Sahan Perera, Head of Talent and Employer Branding at OCTAVE; and Dr Sameera Viswakula, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Statistics, along with other distinguished guests.

This MoU marks a significant milestone in the collaboration between academia and industry, promising to drive innovation and knowledge sharing in the field of data science.