Advancing Research Governance in Nepal: Lessons from the NHRC-ICMR Technical Exposure Visit.

Abstract

The Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) established a bilateral collaboration under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed (January 2021) to foster scientific exchange, capacity building, and health research ethics. NHRC officials comprising research officers, ethics administrators and journal office staff completed an exposure visits to the ICMR headquarters in New Delhi in February 2026. The visit's sessions were centered on ethical practices of ICMR's Bioethics Unit such as the functioning of ethics committees, clinical trial registries, quality assurance protocols, research laboratory standards, and responses to emerging bioethical challenges. This observational engagement identified operational models of potential relevance to NHRC's mandates. Information was compiled from site visits, institutional documents, and expert presentations, and synthesized narratively into thematic lessons. This report describes observed approaches to ethical governance, digitalization, and quality assurance that may inform the strengthening of Nepal's research governance framework. Digitalization, updated national guidelines, tiered accreditation of research institutions, public engagement, and systematic human resource development were identified as priority areas for strengthening research governance in Nepal.  Keywords: Bioethics; capacity building; ethics committees; international cooperation; technology assessment.