Research and Development Collaboration

The American Society of Nepalese Engineers promotes research activity in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Nepal. We are pleased to announce a research and development grant opportunity that may focus on an individual problem or a broader technical challenge. The program intends to facilitate research,   development, and entrepreneurial culture in Nepal to translate research outcomes into practical applications.

Proposals can be submitted by faculty, students, or engineers. The funded research projects must be conducted under the supervision of an engineering faculty member (from any university) or a member of the society following ethical consideration and best research practices. Research projects could be a part of a senior capstone project, thesis, or independent projects in any topics relevant to any field of engineering or computer science.

The Award

Each award provides up to $4,000 (USD) for applicants who are currently working on or would like to start research projects that are aligned with the ANSEngr Research Agenda (any topics are welcome this year). Multiple smaller awards can be granted each year. Preference will be given to collaborative research that involves any combination of students, faculty, and professional engineers. The primary focus, however, needs to be on providing support to the students or researchers to cover expenses, including research equipment or licenses (exclude personal devices such as laptop and phone), supplies, conference registration, travel, fieldwork, and stipends/salary. 

Award recipients ​are required to submit a final report to ASNEngr, and present their findings at the ANSEngr annual conference or publish to a peer-reviewed journal. ASNEngr will assign an advisor to collaborate research work and administer the grant.

Proposals are due on ​​Monday, November 1, 2021, 11:59 pm U.S. eastern time. To submit a proposal for the 2021 ANSEngr Research Grant, please click here. 

If you have any questions and/or need more information, please visit our website or contact us at grants@asnengr.org

Proposal Components and Instructions: 

1. Executive Summary/ Extended Abstract (400 words, plain text directly entered into the form) including a brief statement of the project scope & problem statement and major expected outcomes of the project 
2. Research Plan (single pdf file; 2,500- 3,000 words; up to two figures and/or tables). It should have the following sections:

• • Background information and literature review that includes the current status of the research topic and clear identification of the needs for the proposed research 
  • Preliminary data – Proof of Concept (if any)- work you have already performed in relation to the proposed topics and achievements so far

• Research Objectives and Methods – indicate the prospective sources of data or services that can meet the need, state the significant conditions affecting the research such as existing or future capabilities,  how collaboration or student involvement will be sought, promoted, and sustained throughout the course of the research, how they compensated if you are requesting stipends

• Expected outcomes, project relevance and significance describing how the greater population of Nepal can benefit from the research outcomes and what is the possibility of immediate implementation

• Timeline (max. 24 months) and Budget (not to exceed US$4,000) – outline each cost item and a rationale for each expenditure, e.g., equipment, memberships, subscriptions, training, field visit, survey, meetings, publications, personnel. etc.

• Attachments:

• • Resume of Principal Investigators – education, experience, publications
  • Collaboration letter(s) and any supporting information

Proposal Submission

To submit a proposal for the 2021 ANSEngr Research Grant, please click here. 

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria (100 points total):

1. 20 points: Possibility to implement research outcome directly in Nepal 
2. 20 points: Qualifications of the applicant, including familiarity with the research area 
3. 20 points: Merits of the project (scope, timeline, budget, project impact/significance) 
4. 30 points: Quality of the proposal, i.e., clarity, organization, and design (method, data, analysis)
5. 10 points: Faculty collaborator’s commitment in supervision and collaboration with the society identified advisor

 Award Process

Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of experts created by the ASNEngr Research and Education (ER) sub-committee. Based on the panel’s recommendation, the committee will make the funding decision. Award recipients will be notified by November 15, 2021. 

To receive the fund, award recipients must agree to:

• Sign a memorandum of understanding with ANSEngr regarding the scope of work to be undertaken.
• Share their preliminary results, if possible, at the 20​22 ANSEngr annual conference. 
• Participate in meetings and submit periodic progress reports to the ER sub-committee.
• Submit a final report within 30 days of the project completion as listed or agreed upon during the grant approval.

 Winner Declaration

We are glad to announce the cohort of 2021 Research Grant winners. After rigorous review done by a panel of experts from the related fields, we are awarding the grant to the following six research and development projects:

• Investigation of technical feasibility of potentially modified groundwater arsenic filter
• Architectural design of proposed metro station of Kathmandu Valley
• Enhancement of biogas plant performance by implementing heating system in the biogas digester
• Vulnerability assessment of urban dwellings to pounding effects – a pilot study in core Kathmandu
• A prototype for Nepali speech recognition using Deep Learning
• Development of low-cost upper limb bionic device