Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology's International Conference on Advancements in Computing has been elevated to full IEEE-backed status for its 2026 edition, marking a significant expansion from its previous technical co-sponsorship arrangement.
The Faculty of Computing at Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) has announced that its International Conference on Advancements in Computing (ICAC) will operate under full IEEE sponsorship beginning this year, a substantial upgrade from its prior technical co-sponsorship arrangement. The 8th edition will take place on 9-10 December 2026 at SLIIT's Malabe campus. This transition positions the conference as a fully recognized international research platform endorsed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Since its inception in 2019, ICAC has expanded from a regional initiative into an internationally recognized forum. Across seven editions held between 2019 and 2025, the conference published over 600 peer-reviewed papers indexed in IEEE Xplore and Scopus, attracted more than 1,000 cumulative participants, and featured keynote speakers from prestigious institutions including Imperial College London, the University of Auckland, and Kyushu University. The conference has maintained continuous operations, including a fully virtual format during pandemic years, and has established a Google Scholar h-index of 16.
ICE research tracks have expanded to cover 11 to 17 disciplinary areas annually, encompassing artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer vision, Internet of Things, and quantum computing. The conference evolved from SLIIT's earlier National Conference on Technology & Management, which operated for a decade before transforming into ICAC.
The upgrade to full IEEE sponsorship reflects SLIIT's broader research expansion. The institution now produces over 300 Scopus-indexed papers annually and is ranked joint-third among all Sri Lankan universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, representing the highest ranking achieved by any private university in the country. The 2026 conference will continue accepting submissions from academics, postgraduate students, and industry professionals working in computing and IT fields.
