Invitation to Apply for the i5 Industry Excellence Journey and Awards 2026

The Industrial Development Board (IDB), under the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, is a statutory institution mandated to encourage, promote and develop industries in Sri Lanka. The IDB is committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s industrial transformation in alignment with the national objective of increasing the contribution of the manufacturing sector to 20% of GDP by 2030.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, the IDB is organizing the i5 Industry Excellence Journey & Awards 2026 as a national platform to recognize outstanding enterprises and accelerate the transformation of Sri Lanka’s industrial sector. The initiative aims to celebrate excellence, innovation, productivity, and sustainable growth, while empowering Sri Lankan enterprises to become more competitive, resilient, and future-ready. It is designed to support the broader objectives of the SME Nexus Policy Framework, fostering an enabling ecosystem for the growth, competitiveness, innovation, and sustainable development of Sri Lankan enterprises. The Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura, is as the Knowledge Partner for the i5 Industry Excellence Journey & Awards 2026.

The initiative is designed not merely as an awards programme, but as an Industry Excellence Journey that encourages Sri Lankan enterprises to Level Up and Scale Up, strengthen their competitiveness and prepare for the emerging era of Industry 5.0, where technology, human creativity, sustainability, resilience and responsible innovation come together.

The i5 Industry Excellence Journey & Awards 2026 evaluates participating enterprises across three key pillars of excellence: Enterprise, Industry and Transformation capability, with the assessment framework designed to recognize achievements across seven award areas.

In addition to the individual pillar-based awards, Overall Industry Excellence Awards will be presented to enterprises in the Small, Medium and Large categories, recognizing enterprises that demonstrate comprehensive excellence across the evaluation framework. As the programme places a strong emphasis on industrial transformation towards Industry 5.0, a special i5 Industry 5.0 Award will recognize enterprises demonstrating outstanding progress in integrating advanced technologies with human-centric approaches, sustainability, resilience, innovation and responsible industrial development.

The i5 Industry Excellence Journey provides enterprises with an opportunity to benchmark their performance, identify areas for improvement, demonstrate best practices, gain national recognition and accelerate their journey towards a more competitive, innovative and sustainable future.

🏆 Invitation to Apply

i5 Industry Excellence Journey & Awards 2026

🌟 Showcase Your Excellence. Celebrate Your Journey. Inspire the Future.

The Industrial Development Board (IDB) warmly invites eligible Sri Lankan enterprises to participate in the i5 Industry Excellence Journey & Awards 2026.

This is an opportunity to showcase your industry achievements, capabilities, innovations, and transformation journey and gain recognition for your contribution to Sri Lanka’s industrial development.

🚀 Apply Now

📅 Application Deadline: 30 October 2026

📞 Further Information & Inquiries

For further information and inquiries, please contact:

👤 Director – Marketing Division
Industrial Development Board of Ceylon
☎️ Direct Line: 011 2 607003
📱 WhatsApp: +94 77 8037569

☎️ General Lines: 011 2605326 | 011 2605327
📞 Extensions: 109 | 110 | 108
📧 Email: i5awards@idb.gov.lk