KATHMANDU: Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI) and University of Nepal (UoN) on Friday entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a strategic collaboration to work together in preparing the skilled manpower by bridging the gap between academia and industry.
NICCI Director General Keshab Man Singh and University of Nepal registrar Dr Suresh Acharya signed the MoU, on behalf of their respective institutions. According to the MoU, the partnership seeks to link the academia and industry, build capacity and collaborate in various human skills including training, workshops, conferences, and summits.
The University of Nepal is working on creating a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model for financial (non-academic) operations, said Prof Dr Bindu Lohani, chancellor of the university, that according to him, believes in a IGA (Industry–Government–Academia) approach.
He also informed that the university is working on interdisciplinary model. “First-year curriculum built entirely on providing ‘breadth,’ followed by subject ‘depth,’” he said, adding that the courses are structured to produce degrees with skills that the country in dire need today.
This MoU endeavors to develop a dynamic interface between academic knowledge and industry practices to equip students with practical skills and enhance innovation and entrepreneurship through joint efforts.
The MoU aims at supporting structured internship programs and explore employment pathways for students in NICCI member companies across diverse sectors, and undertaking collaborative research projects on themes of mutual interest, including business, policy, technology, sustainability, tourism, energy, and regional economic cooperation.
Likewise, NICCI expressed eagerness to help the university on mentorship opportunities to help build professional readiness, said the NICCI president Sunil KC. “NICCI is also eager to support entrepreneurship development, including startups and incubation centers,” he said, adding that the MoU will help jointly collaborate in designing and delivering training sessions, certification programs, and capacity-building workshops for students, faculty, and industry professionals. “The two parties also agreed to organize joint summits, symposiums, conferences, and guest lectures that enable knowledge sharing between academia and industry leaders.”
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