Knowledge City Malabe Archives

June 14, 2021

Horizon Campus is a pioneering higher education provider, with degree awarding status to provide its own degrees, having strong affiliations and longstanding partnerships with top foreign universities such as the University of London (UK), Birmingham City University (UK), Arkansas State University (US), Nilai University (Malaysia) and Asia e University (Malaysia).

They recently stepped into a new chapter of offering world class education to students, with the launch of a next-generation multi story, multi-space university facility at the “Knowledge City Malabe’(KCM) themed as “ a new city , a new life”. Mr. Upul Daranagama, Chairman of Horizon Campus gave an insight into their plans of positioning the newly launched campus as a leading educational provider in the South Asian region.

Mr.Daranagama stated “ One of the main objectives of the newly launched campus is to retain the country’s talent and prevent brain drain. By opening a purpose-built campus which is on par with international standards, we want to attract our students to study and remain within the country. And this will be specially beneficial now with the pandemic in force with continuous lockdowns and travel restrictions across the world. Our key aim is to give our students the opportunity to enjoy the same benefits as they would at an International University and to continue their studies to gain the requisite qualifications required for their career aspirations without any delays or interruptions “

Daranagama further explained that the new campus has added new facilities to it’s current portfolio– Education, IT, International Programmes, Management, Science, Law and Technology. They recently opened its Engineering faculty, offering three graduate degrees covering Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, and has plans of adding a Nursing faculty going forward.

Being a firm believer in the value of research, Horizon will also utilize their new facilities to drive an objective of publishing a minimum of two research papers in international journals annually – a feat that will further improve the university’s overall ranking. Listed as an approved university in the World Bank funded Sri Lankan Government operation Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) programme, Horizon Campus is dedicated to contribute to research, mainly in the science stream.

“In addition to publishing research papers, we will be encouraging students to get involved with entrepreneurial research,” says Daranagama, adding that the university is keen to nurture and support entrepreneurship ventures via the campus’ inhouse Business Incubator which supports students with funding and mentorship.

Lauded for its high graduate employability, stemming from strict adherence to internal quality assurance and selective and guaranteed internship training, Horizon will further strengthen these benefits with the launch of the new campus, thereby gaining further credibility and confidence of employers.” We are in the process of having discussions with some of the leading and most innovative companies in the country and guarantee work placement after completion of their degree,” explains Daranagama, mentioning that the university currently works in tandem with industry players such as Virtusa, Daraz, Orel Corporation, Ninewells Hospital and HCL Technologies to provide internships for students to name a few.

With the new facility being on par with global standards, and their vision of being a leading educational provider in the South Asian region, Horizon will focus on attracting regional students to study in Sri Lanka, including those from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and the Maldives, and ex-pat students living in the Middle East. “During the pandemic, we have successfully onboarded 115 ex-pat students to Horizon, and once things return to post-pandemic conditions, we will be opening our doors to foreign students,” avers Daranagama stating that Horizon Campus looks forward to contributing towards achieving Sri Lanka ‘s vision of being a leading education hub in Asia.

April 21, 2021

Colombo, April 21, 2021 – The first stage of Knowledge City Malabe (KCM) by Access Residencies and Foresight Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd was ceremonially declared open by the Minister of Education, Prof. G.L Peiris on April 10, 2021. KCM is set to be a city within a city, which offers everything a person needs in close proximity, with over 50% of the space dedicated for education and education related activities.

The first building is a 7 floor, 150,000 Sq. Ft facility initially housing up to 3200 students of the Horizon Campus – a non-state university recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Ministry of Higher Education; as well as Spark Academy, which will occupy the 6^th floor and develop top talent for the IT industry. The campus will comprise of 6 high tech computer labs, 3 science labs, libraries, cafes, a rooftop lounge as well as an ultramodern state-of-the-art auditorium with a seating capacity of 400.

Speaking at the launch, Minister of Education, Prof. G. L. Peiris, who explained that the Ministry was currently in the process of engaging all stakeholders to upgrade curricula with relevance to social priorities, lauded the efforts of KCM towards the education for young Sri Lankans. “What KCM is doing, addresses all the relevant issues in higher education. The choice of disciplines at Horizon Campus is directly relevant to the needs of the Sri Lankan economy as it grows. They are making every effort to ensure that products of the system are people who have received training in the fields in demand for employment by identifying demands of the marketplace and delivering courses structured to market needs.” He said. Adding, “You are enhancing the value and acceptance of qualifications conferred on students in two ways. One is the link with foreign universities, which ensures studies are not delivered in isolation but in partnership with the international tertiary education system. Secondly, the links that feed into and benefit from connections to the industrial sector, guaranteeing employability.”

An initiative by Foresight Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd in collaboration with Access Residencies, Knowledge City Malabe – situated just 45 minutes from Colombo – envisages to offer city living and unmatched convenience and quality of life; universities offering a comprehensive range of local and foreign degree programs from top institutes, leading retailers, banks and medical facility providers, and high end work spaces for companies, guaranteeing an all-inclusive living experience within 28 acres of land surrounded by the luscious greenery of Malabe, on completion, which is estimated to take 6 years.

“Knowledge City Malabe gives certainty to the promise of an integrated city within a city with education as its core focus, creating an oasis of learning and living for our discerning residents. Even as we develop KCM towards completion, our first priority was establishing its rightful place in the education sector, and we are happy of the move of the Horizon Campus which will bring in over 3200 students to the very first building within the campus premises. Two other buildings will also be completed within the campus premises extending world class education to over 10000 students with over 1000 student accommodation facilities. Parallel to this, our development in the residential and office complexes and retail and leisure sections are ongoing and promise to be the first of its kind in Sri Lanka”, stated Ayesh Fernando, Director, Knowledge City Malabe, commenting on the project.

The KCM master project with an investment of Rs. 7 Billion will be a city within a city; including a campus with world class universities, student accommodation, modern commercial office towers, 65 modern individual houses, a residential complex with a mixed development zone, a Keells Supermarket, a Hatton National Bank Branch, Ninewells 24 hour Medical Center, a Food court, Bowling alley, Cinema, Coffee shops, Restaurants, more retail businesses and Recreational facilities.

Access Residencies, a member of the Access Group, maintains numerous properties and top-tier real estate projects under its wing. Access Residencies maintains a diverse premium client portfolio with the best of housing opportunities and up to date modern infrastructure.

Foresight Engineering is the prime developer of Knowledge City Malabe. With a clear objective of “Implementing Endless Multi- Disciplinary Solutions”, Foresight Engineering has undertaken the delivery of a variety of key multidisciplinary solutions across multiple business sectors in the country.

April 19, 2021

Opening up a new chapter of offering world class education to students across the country, Horizon Campus in collaboration with the Access Group of Companies including Foresight Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, recently launched a next-generation multi story, multi-space university facility at the futuristic “Knowledge City Malabe’(KCM) themed as “ a new city , a new life”.

The event kicked off with Mr.Theo Fernando Director of the Access Group of companies outlining the master plan of the venture, which would comprise of a state-of-the-art,150,000 sqft seven-floor building with the ability to accommodate over 3,000 students. With six fully equipped laboratories, an auditorium, multiple study spaces, a plant house, conference rooms, open library and a business incubation space, it will encompass multiple faculties that include Education, IT, International Programmes, Management, Science, Law and Technology. The new complex will also have interactive teaching, project-based instruction and authentic research experiences.

Additionally, it would contain a two-tower condominium complex catering to accommodate both students and lecturers; a housing complex with 65 single units; playground and communal walking paths, supermarkets, banks and retail spaces.

Through its innovative architecture and use of advanced technology, the new facility is built to encourage more integrated ways of working with students into the future.

Mr.Upul Daranagama, Chairman of Horizon Campus, addressing the gathering said that the new complex marks the result of years of planning and effort from their faculty, staff and partners, and would enhance Horizon’s nationally-recognized programs and their capacity to fulfill its promise as an anchor institution, supplying prepared leaders to meet Sri Lanka’ s future workforce demands.” Overall, our new campus signifies our commitment to producing the best talent for our country as well as our investment in our students”, Daranagama emphasized.”

Hon. (Prof.) G. L. Peiris, Minister of Education, the Chief Guest at the occasion, commended Horizon Campus, The Access Group of Companies and Foresight Engineering for embarking on this ambitious venture during these challenged market conditions.” This is an endeavor directly related to the vision of our country in terms of education, where we close the gap and mismatch between education and employment . I am pleased to say that this venture is addressing some of the key requirements we need to meet in education in a pragmatic way and I applaud Horizon Campus for its vision to continue expanding what it offers to even more people and places.This is yet another demonstration to the world that Sri Lanka is a constantly progressive and inclusive nation,” he stated.

With their vision to build on their reputation as a leading higher education institution in the country, creating a center for excellence in both teaching and research, Horizon campus will expand its foreign portfolio in affiliation with partner universities such as University of London (UK), Birmingham City University (UK), Arkansas State University (US), Nilai University (Malaysia) and Asia e University ( Malaysia). Horizon Campus is also set to attract international students from Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh, thus contributing their efforts towards making Sri Lanka a top educational hub in the Asian region.

As such, Horizon Campus in collaboration with the prestigious Access Group of Companies, looks well set to address the growing demand for the future-ready talent requisite for organizations in the country, for a range of industries from ICT, Science, Technology , Management, Law and Education .

April 6, 2021

Leading private university Horizon Campus continues its pioneering streak in the journey of educating Sri Lanka’s next-generation, with a multi-space new university facility within the ambitious development project ‘Knowledge City Malabe’ which will be launched on 10th April.

“We are passionate about education and we believe that creating the right spaces can help students and staff to achieve excellence, so we’re investing to make great places for them to learn and work and to provide up-to-date, multi-use spaces as well as to increase and improve our facilities to enable further growth we have planned over the next five years,” shared CEO of Horizon Campus Ajitha Wanasinghe

Knowledge City Malabe (KCM) is a comprehensive educational ecosystem – a venture of Access Engineering PLC and Foresight Engineering (Pvt) Ltd – which comprises a 28-acre space providing a one-stop-shop for studying, living and recreation.

Once completed, KCM will consist of several clusters: a two-tower condominium complex catering to students, lecturers and parents as both an accommodation and investment option; a housing complex with 65 single units; playground and cricketing grounds; communal walking path, commercial buildings including supermarkets, banks and retail spaces, and Horizon Campus which will span across 8 acres and will have the capacity to host over 10,000 students once all three development phases are complete.

The first campus on the premises, Horizon Campus is passionate about providing a never-before-seen campus experience to its students, thus encouraging the younger generation to study and work in Sri Lanka instead of travelling overseas for higher studies.

“It is indeed a very exciting venture for us as a university, and also as a country – there is a significant amount of students who study abroad draining vast amounts of money from the economy, and it is our goal to provide these students with an international-standard learning experience at home,” further highlights Wanasinghe.

Phase one – which opens in April – comprises a state-of-the-art, 150,000 sqft seven-floor building that can accommodate 3,000 students, and which houses a large canteen, outside hang-out area, 6 laboratories, an auditorium, multiple study spaces, a plant house as well as departmental offices, conference rooms, open library and a business incubation space on-premise.

“We have designed all facilities to be world-class, for instance, all the new labs are equipped with the latest infrastructure; we have covered all details even to the extent of having eye pumps and in-built showers for emergencies – facilities that are firsts in Sri Lanka,” he adds

The new complex will complement the campus’ current and future educational offerings throughout its multiple faculties – Education, IT, International Programmes, Management, Science, Law and Technology – and its focus on providing holistic experiences to students.

Recognized as a Degree Awarding Institute by the Ministry of Higher Education in Sri Lanka, armed with the Institutional Membership by the Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN), the campus is keen to expand its foreign portfolio in tandem with partner universities such as University of London (UK), Birmingham City University (UK), Arkansas State University (US), Nilai University (Malaysia) and Asia e University ( Malaysia). The educational service provider is also signing up partnerships with the Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh to attract international students, thus contributing to making Sri Lanka an educational hub.

“A student must have an accomplished academic experience to qualify themselves as professionals, but they also need to be rounded up to become valued members in society, and this is achieved via sports, leadership ventures, music, projects and other extra-curricular activities,” avers Wanasinghe.

A small step with massive potential, Horizon Campus is passionate about providing students with the opportunity to enjoy a global educational experience right here in Sri Lanka, thus paving the way for excellence in academic, professional, social and overall holistic growth in the country’s next generation.

Horizon Campus Knowledge City Malabe to be positioned as a leading education provider in the South Asian Region

Knowledge City Malabe Opens First Educational Building

Building a new city, a new life – Horizon Campus launches at Knowledge City Malabe (KCM)

Horizon Campus to open pioneering university complex at Knowledge City Malabe