Computing requirements of Sri Lankan scientific community

Significant improvements in Information and Communication (ICT) infrastructure over the last decade put Sri Lanka among the top developing nations for ICT-led economic and social growth. While ICT has also contributed to increased research outcomes through better access to world-class knowledge, research resources, and other researchers, overall growth and significance of research findings are not in par with most of the top developing nations. In this research, through surveys and interviews, we explore the current state of computing resources available for research, as well as the needs and challenges faced by researchers. We identified a number of challenges, including shortage of computational and storage resources, cost of software licenses, limited awareness of alternative tools, inadequate programing skills among graduate students, unavailability of research computing support staff, unreliable infrastructure, and organizational constraints. We further discuss potential solutions to address some of these technical and nontechnical challenges.