The University of Kelaniya, in collaboration with University College London (UCL) and partners of the DIAGNOSE-DR project, has been actively delivering a series of public outreach and training events. These initiatives have engaged a wide range of audiences including postgraduate, undergraduate, and school students, as well as university staff and school teachers with the goal of strengthening research capacity and promoting knowledge exchange.

The training programme has been structured around three domains: (1) improving knowledge and intellectual abilities, (2) improving personal effectiveness, and (3) engagement, influence and impact. Sessions were delivered by a diverse group of professionals, including academics and industry experts, ensuring that participants benefitted from a broad range of perspectives and expertise. Participants were encouraged to share their learning with peers in their schools, universities, and communities. Importantly, the initiative also supported the growth of junior university staff, who played a central role in planning and delivering the six-month programme. Through this process, they gained valuable experience in project management and event coordination, including the use of Gantt charts to structure timelines.

The programme will culminate in a student-led project, where participants design a small-scale initiative to benefit their school, university, or community. Each proposal will outline a title, aim, objectives, methods, expected impact, and timeline, giving participants the opportunity to translate their learning into practical, context-specific solutions. Looking ahead, upcoming sessions will focus on the importance of public health research, particularly on diabetes prevention and its related consequences, as well as the role of research in raising public awareness. These sessions will demonstrate how initiatives such as DIAGNOSE-DR, which aim for the early identification of diabetic retinopathy, can help prevent avoidable vision loss. They will be delivered to a broad audience including university lecturers, teachers, postgraduate, undergraduate, and school students further strengthening both professional and public understanding of health challenges and solutions.

This project is funded by Velux Stiftung, whose ophthalmology programme supports research to reduce visual impairments and blindness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by strengthening institutional research capacity.