The 16th International Research Conference (IRC) of the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) commenced at the KDU Auditorium in Ratmalana earlier this week with the presence of the Chief of Staff to the President and National Security Advisor Sri Lanka, Sagala Ratnayaka as the Chief Guest.
The Defence Secretary, General KamalGunaratne was the the Guest of Honour at the ceremony.
KDU Vice Chancellor (VC) Rear AdmiralDammika Kumara delivered the welcome address at the inauguration ceremony of the two-day long KDU IRC.
Duringthe inauguration session, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe made a keynote speech at the conference while Prof.Leland Hartwell of the Arizona State University USA who is a Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology and Medicine delivered a keynote address via online technology.
The Defence the KDU-IRC is a testament to our commitment to seekingsolutions, fostering understanding, and shaping a better world for future generations while adding “the pursuit of knowledge and the advancement ofresearch are timeless endeavours that transcend boundaries and pave theway for progress”.
The IRC 2023 held on September 7 and 8 under the theme “Achieving Resilience through Digitalisation,
Sustainability and Sectorial Transformation” attracts professionals and researchers of various disciplines to one platform to share anddisseminate their research findings.
The conference that began with the inaugural session will feature plenary sessions, oral presentations and poster presentations of disciplines including Defence and StrategicStudies, Engineering, Medicine, Computing, Law, Allied Sciences, Technology, Criminal Justice, Built Environment and Spatial Sciences, Basic and Applied Sciences and Management, Social Sciences and Humanities.
Sagala Ratnayaka and the Defence Secretary joined in giving away the Annual Research Excellence Awards to the KDU academic staff and students who excelled in research.
Members of the diplomatic corpsChancellor of the KDU General SHS Kottegoda (Retd), MOD’s Additional Secretary (Defence) Dhammika Wijayasinghe and Additional Secretary (Parliament Affairs and Policy) Indika Wijegunawardana, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Shavendra Silva, Army Commander Lt Gen Vikum Liyanage, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, Commander of the Air Force Udeni Rajapaksha, Former KDU VC, Chancellors and VCs of other universities, Deputy VCs, Deans and Directors, former Chancellors, VCs and Commandants of KDU, senior military officers, members of the academic staff, scholars, academics and a large number of participants were also present.