Sri Lanka Forum of University Economists (SLFUE) was established in February, 2012 with the intention of enabling closer cooperation, dialogue, research and academic enhancement among the professionals in Economics serving in the Sri Lankan Public Universities. SLFUE aims to raise the image and recognition of the University Economists in Sri Lanka among the national and international research community in the field of Economics by contributing to the national and international development. The Forum currently possesses the membership of 32 Departments and Units that teach economics in the Sri Lankan University system and the chair of the Forum rotates every year among the member Universities/Departments.

While the Forum will be invaluable in terms of resource sharing, building of research capabilities, and curriculum development, one of the major events of the Forum is the annual International Research Conference titled “Sri Lanka Economic Research Conference” (SLERC). SLERC has become the annual economic research conference of the national universities of Sri Lanka, enabling both academics and undergraduates to showcase their research capabilities and outcomes. This is also the vehicle for promoting the recognition of academic economists among academia, policy makers, industrialists and the general public. The Forum also published the Sri Lanka Journal of Economic Research (SLJER). The SLJER is a refereed bi-annual tri-lingual (English, Sinhala and Tamil) research journal which creates a space for particularly policy related original research, can be disseminated, and contributes to the economic knowledge base and thought process. Critical evaluation of policy, growth, equity and social welfare, and the challenges posed to such fundamentals by economic liberalisation, globalisation and technological progress, research that demand economic analytical methods, are the major areas of interest of the journal.

From the first meeting of the Forum held on February 24th, 2012 at University of Colombo, quarterly meetings are held to discuss the progress of the forum, held in every three months in different member universities. In line with the quarterly meetings, a research workshop for young economists and keynote speech/panel discussion on burning issues of the country are held with the participation of all the members of the Forum.