Hydro-Himalaya is a NORHED-II funded project which aims to strengthen research-based education and produce a better qualified workforce for the Hindu Kush Himalaya. The project will be implemented over six years, starting in 2021, and has three focus areas: effective production of hydro energy, effective transmission of hydro energy, and effective end-use of hydro energy.
Project rationale
- Transfer of academic and research competence in the hydropower sector from Kathmandu University to the Nepalese and Himalayan region universities in the field of hydropower engineering
- Bridging the gap between academia and industry to achieve sustainable solutions and practices
- Facilitate an interregional exchange that enhances learning and networking opportunities for researchers.
Mentorship programme
Through the Hydro-Himalaya Project, the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) at International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), together with Kathmandu University, the Norwegian University for Science and Technology (NTNU), the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) and Wuhan University (WHU), is implementing a mentorship program for the total of 30 PhD- and Master-students that will be included in the project between 2021 and 2024. Mentors will support, guide, and advice selected candidates (hereafter referred to as mentees) to achieve their educational and personal goals. Each mentor will have a maximum of two Mentee under her/his wings.
This mentorship program is a voluntary service where mentors will be instrumental to create a pool of strong and self-driven young professionals in the HKH region. The mentors will also have the opportunity to travel for annual meetings and expand their global network. HUC and project webpage create a profile and recognize the contribution of the mentors.
For more information, please refer to the Terms of Reference. If this program motivates you to contribute to developing a pool of young professionals in the HKH region, please send your CV and any additional queries to Dr Chi Huyen Truong (Shachi).
Project Partners
Outcome of the Project
The Himalaya region has access to sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure, educated nationals able to maintain and further develop the energy sector and industry utilizing and promoting sustainable solutions. The application for Fall 2021 is closed and the new application will be announced in 2022.
Activities under the project
Doing our bit to produce more women hydropower engineers
Across the globe, engineering is a field largely dominated by men, and Nepal’s story is no different. While it seems that this picture is gradually changing, it is still rare to see women opting to pursue courses that are highly technical, such as hydropower engineering. Only 1 in 10 students doing engineering in Nepal is a woman. Very few women candidates hold a master’s degree in the sector, and fewer still hold doctorates.
Committed to bringing better gender balance and social inclusion in such technical domains, the Hydro-Himalaya project encourages women candidates and candidates from marginalized groups to apply for master’s and PhD courses in the domains of hydropower engineering.
Enhancing graduate competencies for Nepal's hydropower sector
The recent leadership and partnership workshop titled ‘Enhancing graduate competencies and employability for the hydropower sector in Nepal’, marked a pivotal moment in Hydro-Himalaya project (HHP)’s efforts to foster a sound cadre of future hydropower engineers in Nepal through its mentorship programme.
As the lead of the mentorship programme, HUC brought together PhD- and masters students along with their respective supervisors from Kathmandu University (KU), Norwegian University for Science and Technology (NTNU), University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Wuhan University (WHU), and eight mentors in the sector.
For more information
Visit: hhp.ku.edu.np
Email your questions to: hydro.himalaya@ku.edu.np