SARASOTA, Fla., Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolucia Inc. (OTCBB & OTCQB: ILED) today announced the appointment of Asiri Jayawardena, Ph.D., a leading expert in the field of LED engineering and research, as Innovation Manager.  Dr. Jayawardena will direct the new Lighting Technology and Research Center of Excellence at the company's Sarasota headquarters.

Dr. Jayawardena, the fourth person to receive a Ph.D. in Lighting from the renowned Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has earned numerous awards for innovation in LED engineering and research. Before joining Evolucia, he held key positions at the Ceylon Electricity Board and at A.P. Moller-Maersk group in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The Evolucia Lighting Research Center, scheduled to launch in January, will be a state-of-the-art lighting technology and product testing facility, unique in the industry. The multiplex facility will include Photometry, Product Reliability and Research Laboratories, as well as a Lighting Education Center. 

Evolucia is building the Center in collaboration with Leader Electronics, Inc., as part of its partnership and overall commitment of $2 million for R&D equipment to speed Evolucia's product development as announced in July 2012.

"Having Dr. Jayawardena at the helm of our new Research Center represents another important milestone for Evolucia as an innovator and leader in developing leading LED technology solutions," said Evolucia CEO Mel Interiano.

Interiano added that the new Lighting Research Center "will enable Evolucia to accelerate our development of new LED technologies by allowing us to perform testing internally, significantly reducing costs and shrinking the product development cycle." 

"Evolucia's rapid transformation, growth and advances in LED lighting are inspiring. I'm excited to join this world-class team, with the vision and commitment to lead the next-generation of LED lighting innovation and development," said Dr. Jayawardena.

The Center will feature the latest LED lighting testing equipment, including a full-field goniophotometer and an integrating sphere, measuring all aspects of the science of light, environmental reliability, and other product and component analysis.

The Center will also offer official external training programs to lighting industry professionals, including lighting designers, architects, energy service company professionals, and other LED lighting specialists. Additionally, the Center will help advance Evolucia's LED solutions into new spaces, such as marine, aviation, and health care.

About Evolucia Inc.

Evolucia Inc. is an industry pioneer in the design, engineering, manufacturing and marketing of high performance LED (light emitting diode) lighting solutions to global markets. All Evolucia products offer highly energy efficient, durable, commercial-grade LED lighting for both indoor and outdoor applications. The company's award winning LED fixtures employ the company's proprietary Aimed Optics™ technology, which received the US Department of Energy's highest award in LED lighting. More information about Evolucia is available in the company's Securities and Exchange filings, which can be found at www.sec.gov or at www.evolucia.com.  

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements made by Evolucia in this press release are forward-looking in nature. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Evolucia believes that its primary risk factors include, but are not limited to: development and maintenance of strategic acquisitions; domestic and international acceptance of our product lines; defending our intellectual property and proprietary rights; development of new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; successfully completing commercial testing of new technologies and systems to support new products and services; and attracting and retaining qualified management and other personnel. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Evolucia's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors.

SOURCE Evolucia Inc.