Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI) and Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) on Monday entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a strategic collaboration to bridge the gap between academia and industry.

NICCI Director General Keshab Man Singh and KUSOM Dean Prof Dr Bijay KC signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions.

According to the MoU, the partnership promotes internship and job placement cooperation, joint research initiatives, academic-industry exchange, capacity-building programs, co-hosting training, workshops, conferences, and summits.

The MoU aims to support structured internship programs, explore employment pathways for students in NICCI member companies across diverse sectors, and undertake collaborative research projects on themes of mutual interest, including business, policy, technology, sustainability, tourism, energy, and regional economic cooperation.

Likewise, the MoU envisions designing and delivering training sessions, certification programmes, and capacity-building workshops for students, faculty, and industry professionals.

The two parties also agreed to organise joint summits, symposiums, conferences, and guest lectures that enable knowledge sharing between academia and industry leaders.