The vision of the Nepalese nonprofit, the National Innovation Center (NIC), is to make Nepal an economically prosperous nation through research, innovation, and technology. Right after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, I worked as NIC’s Head of Global Partnerships to build out its collaboration with technology companies and research institutions. This summer, I returned to NIC as a Public Policy Intern to establish and extend NIC’s partnership with the national government.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NIC aided several private and government hospitals in Nepal. While Head of Global Partnerships, I spearheaded collaborations with experts, doctors, and professors from Amsterdam University of Applied Science (AUAS), UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University’s Prakash Lab to develop and source critical COVID-19 technologies. One of the most significant shortcomings I witnessed was the fragmented ecosystem of innovation that choked the emergence of new technologies. The main reason behind the fragmentation of the innovation ecosystem was inadequate foundational government infrastructure required to foster innovation. Further, the lack of government policies regarding the commercialization of innovation in Nepal substantially stunted the development of a marketplace for new technologies.

During the pandemic, international trade slowed down precipitously. Nepal, a net importer, could not import all the necessary medical equipment and devices to combat the coronavirus. NIC was best positioned to build and distribute the needed medical devices. However, insufficient government policies regarding innovation hindered the development and production of medical devices. For example, Nepal does not have an organization like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that evaluates and approves drugs and medical devices developed in Nepal. The NIC in Nepal could not sustainably build or produce the devices in Nepal as there was no approving body like the FDA to ensure the safety of the devices.

My work as a Public Policy Intern focused on structuring a partnership with the government so that NIC could 1) help the government form the approving body for the innovation products built in Nepal and 2) help develop needed public infrastructure. To undertake the formulation of the approving body, I met with several government officials. I recommended standards, criteria, professional skills, and processes needed to form an approving authority like the FDA. I researched the case study of similar approving bodies in neighboring countries, such as the Indian Standards Institution (ISI.) Through my meetings with government officials, I investigated forming symbiotic partnerships between the government and nonprofits to build much-needed government infrastructure. Through my interviews, I learned the difficulties nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and businesses face when attempting to launch innovations. One of the most significant issues is the lack of capital and initial funding.

For example, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), under the leadership of its recent mayor, started a new waste management initiative. Several entrepreneurs affiliated with NIC submitted a proposal to build the infrastructure to recycle plastic waste in Kathmandu. Without initial capital and funding from KMC, these entrepreneurs could not begin the recycling infrastructure project. Government contract payments are only disbursed after project completion. I developed a proposal in which NIC would collaborate with the government and provide initial resources to build the infrastructure. 

My internship experience at the NIC over the summer provided me with concrete experience in creating the logic, ways, and means of nonprofit and government collaboration. I drew on my past experiences working in various for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Most important, the problem-solving skills I learned in INTLPOL 307 Policy Problem Solving in the Real World helped me design the implementation strategies curated for the context of Nepal. After my internship, I witnessed what is possible and became even more convinced that a symbiotic partnership is paramount for governments and nonprofits to scale the impact of collective efforts.