Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the newly established University of Nepal on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding to work together in preparing skilled manpower by bridging the gap between academia and industry.

NICCI Director General Keshab Man Singh and University of Nepal registrar Suresh Acharya signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions.

As per the understanding, the partnership seeks to link academia and industry, build capacity and collaborate in various skills, including training, workshops, conferences, and summits.

The University of Nepal is working on creating a special purpose vehicle model for financial (non-academic) operations, said Prof Bindu Lohani, chancellor of the university, that according to him, believes in an industry–government–academia approach.

This MoU endeavours 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 a structured internship programme and exploring 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.