The Early Career Research Day 2024, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, was held under the theme of “Innovation Horizons: Navigating Entrepreneurship in a Changing World” on the 25th of November 2024 at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya.

This event was supported in part by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and was hosted by the W. M. Jayarathne Centre for Management Research and the Central Business Incubator (CBI) of the University of Kelaniya.

The event aimed at providing a platform for insightful discussions, networking with fellow researchers, and exploring tools and resources that support innovation and entrepreneurship.

Prof. Bandara Wanninayake, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, graced the event as the Chief Guest, while Dr. Sonja Franzke, Chair of Digital Business Models, Faculty of Law and Economics, University of Bayreuth, Germany, honoured the event as the Keynote Speaker.

At the beginning, an awareness session on “Funding Agencies for Research and Higher Studies in Germany,” was conducted by Ms. Nimaya Manudewa, Regional Officer of the Information Centre - Colombo, DAAD - German Academic Exchange Service.

A panel discussion added immense value to the event under the theme of “Charting the Course: Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Era of Disruption,” which was dignified by the participation of Mr. Kusal Rathnayaka, Head of Digital, Innovation Quotient Pvt Ltd; Mr. Ruki de Silva, Founder of 361 degrees; and Mr. Dilanka Sanjaya, Managing Director of Fonix Software Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. The forum was moderated by Prof. Nalaka Wickramasinghe from the Department of Commerce and Financial Management, University of Kelaniya.

A workshop entitled “Artificial Intelligence for Research” was organized with Prof. Lasith Gunawardena, Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Management Studies & Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, serving as the resource person.

The event also witnessed the participation of academics and students of the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies.