Prof. Ranil De Silva, Director of the World Class Universities Grant Project and Director, Interdisciplinary Centre for Innovations in Biotechnology delivered an invited Plenary lecture (40 min lecture & 10 min discussion on the first day of the meeting) at the 58^th International Symposium of the Korean Society of Life Science under the theme ‘New Era of Biotechnology to 4th Industrial Revolution’. The symposium was held from August 3^rd to 4^th, 2017 in Korea; title of the talk “Banking the Brain and Blood: A Sri Lankan Experience in translational challenges in Life style Factors; what East can offer the West” , discussed mainly the potential therapeutics and drug discovery through natural/herbal products which cover the health benefits of Sri Lankan Natural Products as Green & Black Tea, Coffee, Green leafy vegetables  from his research findings. The symposium themed was “New Era of Biotechnology to 04^th Industrial Revolution”.

The symposium was attended by more than 400 researchers, academics, and young scholars in the related fields and was an immense success. The symposium led to developing collaborations between the university of Sri Jayewardenepura  and Korean Society of Life Sciences and other institutes participated in the event, opening up new avenues strengthening international research collaboration in terms of joint research projects.