The preliminary round of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which was organized in parallel to the 15^th International Conference on Business and Information 2024, was held on the 20^th of October 2024, from 10.00 a.m. onwards at the Board Room of the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya.

The competition was open to Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), and Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) students at all universities and disciplines. Ten contestants from diverse disciplines registered and competed in the preliminary round by pitching their research ideas in 03 minutes using a single slide, focusing on a non-specialized audience.

The event was conducted by the Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Ruwan Buddika. The contestants were judged by an eminent panel of judges, namely Dr. Kanchana Wijewardena, School of Business, University of Wollongong, Australia; Dr. Nilupama Wijewardena, College of Business and Law, RMIT University, Australia; and Ms. Sulokshana Marks, Australian Institute of Innovative Materials. Out of the 10 contestants, judges selected 05 contestants for the grand finale and the grand finale will be held on the 1st of November 2024 at the Pegasus Reef Hotel, Wattala.

The event was organized by the organizing committee of the 3MT competition – Dr. Srinath Dissanayake, Dr. Prabhashini Wijewantha Ms. Uththara Dissanayake, Mr. Dhanajaya Pathiraja, Mr. Theja Bandara and Mr. Uditha Mirando, under the guidance of the Conference Chair Dr. Ruwani Fernando.