The Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) which is formed of 44 professional associations is the premier institution for professional affairs ranging from good governance to constitutional matters, human resource management to productivity improvement, engineering to construction and industry, medical science to pharmacology, agricultural sciences to technology and innovation etc. 
This year, the OPA is organizing its 28th annual conference on 18th and 19th August at the Galadari Hotel, Colombo. The theme of the conference is “Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development”.
This conference is planned to produce a perfect atmosphere to unite and interact with like-minded people focusing on innovation and technology to bring sustainable development. This conference will address three major areas such as services, agriculture and industry. In the present day context, it is often said that “industries have identified, that competency and world class performance alone are not enough to survive present competitive market.” Therefore, the driving wedge between competency and world class performance is innovation. All these three, play in concert to generate the business in blue water. However, the technology is a component that is necessary to transform input to output which helps to keep the balance of the process. Therefore, the conference has been carefully drawn up to embrace the two keywords, innovation and technology, towards sustainable development. 
The conference will address how these two would play in area such as services, agriculture and industry towards sustainable development. Under these three major areas the conference has been further sub-divided in to six themes such as Innovation and Technology in Agriculture, Nano Technology in Industry, Innovation in Transportation, Technological Advantage in Medical Sciences, Innovative entrepreneurship for sustainable development, and Innovation and technology in the clothing industry.
Sustainable development has connotations: as a philosophy, as a scientific decision-making tool but also as a belief of persons and policy to be applied in practice. 


It is generally agreed that sustainable development means that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is further describes as a long term strategy including economic, human (social) and environment resources. 
With this in the backdrop, the conference will produce research findings and concepts in the context of sustainable development in areas of services, agriculture and industry which in turn will help make our economy progress. 
The chair of the conference committee is Dr. Rohana Kuruppu who is an Adjunct Professor of the RMIT University, Australia and CEO of the Brandix College of Clothing Technology shall receive abstracts up to 30thMay 2015 and approve them on or before 15thJune 2015. Full paper submission will be on or before 30th July 2015.