The 23^rd International Postgraduate Research Conference (IPRC) 2023, organized by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, was held on the 24^th of November 2023. The conference theme was “Enrichment of Academic Strength through Research", which reflected the significance of continuous learning through exploration in research.

The inauguration was held at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies of the University and was live-casted on the IPRC website and the FGS Facebook page to facilitate extensive virtual participation across the university and worldwide.

The chief guest for the IPRC 2023 was Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya. Professor Padmanabhan Balaram, an eminent Indian biochemist and a former director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India, delivered the keynote speech of the conference while the event was graced by Professor Hemalatha Balaram, a renowned Indian biochemist, and a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bangalore, India, as the Guest of Honor.

The plenary sessions of the conference were enriched by four distinguished individuals from various academic domains to exchange knowledge in prevailing global contexts and provide participants with the most recent insights and discussions. The 1^st plenary session was by Professor Stephen Marshall from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, on “Translating research into organizational change leadership and institutional work”. The 2^nd was by Professor Roma Chatterji from the University of Delhi on “The vernacular in the contemporary folk arts and the art world in India”. The Guest of Honor, Professor Hemalatha Balaram from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India, delivered a plenary session on “Malaria: a still unconquered infectious disease”. The final plenary session was by Professor Shirley W. I. Siu from Macao, Polytechnic University, Macao, on the topic of “Artificial intelligence-driven discovery of novel anticancer peptides”.

Accordingly, fifteen (15) parallel sessions were successfully held in six locations, including the Boardrooms of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, the Faculty of Science, and the auditorium of the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, etc. A total of 260 abstract submissions were received for the conference, and following a comprehensive editorial review, 148 abstracts were selected for publication. During the conference, 106 of these selected abstracts were presented based on the research findings that addressed issues and emerging concepts under four distinct tracks, including Accounting, Business and Management, Science, Technology, Mathematics and Medicine, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Multidisciplinary Studies.

Additionally, Senior Professor N. A. K. P. J. Seneviratne, Conference Chair and the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Deans of the other Faculties, Heads of Departments, professors, lecturers, Mr. K. B. S. L. Wijerathne, Conference Secretary and Deputy Registrar of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the editorial board, and coordinators of IPRC, along with academic and non-academic staff members, postgraduate students, and researchers participated in the conference.