Preface for the Proceedings of the 14th International Vacuum Electron Sources Conference

The 14th International Vacuum Electron Sources Conference (IVESC2023) was held at Kasuga Auditorium, the University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, from September 25 to 29, 2023. This conference continues as a successor of the biennial series of the Tri-service/NASA Cathode Workshop, which began in 1978. To enhance its impact and reach, an international steering committee was formed, which resulted in the launch of the conference series in the Netherlands in 1996. Since then, the conference has been held biennially across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Although the 14th conference was initially scheduled for 2022, it was postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.