HUC’s Transition: From ICIMOD to Kathmandu University

About the event

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will celebrate the relaunch and handover of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) to the Kathmandu University (KU) and the announcement and presentation of the Dr. Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize 2025. This celebration is a dedicated event marking the International Mountain Day 2025.

Background

The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) was established by ICIMOD in 2007 as a collaborative network of universities and academic institutions across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region to strengthen research, education, and knowledge exchange and lead sustainable mountain development in this unique yet fragile region. Since its inception, ICIMOD has hosted the HUC Secretariat and funded its activities, helping the consortium grow into a network of over 100 universities from within and outside the HKH region.

Over the past two and a half decades, HUC has made significant strides in fostering academic partnerships, supporting early and mid-career researchers, and advancing mountain-focused research and education. However, an independent evaluation of HUC and SANDEE, in 2023, strongly recommended realigning HUC governance, communication, and accountability with ICIMOD goals. Following this, the ICIMOD’s Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) recommended in December 2024 that HUC transition to an autonomous network and collaborate as a partner with ICIMOD and provided a clear roadmap for HUC’s transition.

Kathmandu University (KU) expressed its willingness to host the HUC Secretariat, reinforcing its long-term commitment to advancing regional academic collaboration as was originally envisaged in HUC’s ideation. ICIMOD and KU have agreed to transfer the HUC Secretariat from ICIMOD to KU to support its continued growth and impact.

Therefore, ICIMOD, have planned to celebrate this momentous occasion by organising a Relaunch and Handover Ceremony of the HUC Secretariat at ICIMOD Headquarters on 10 December 2025, to reaffirm our shared commitment to HUC’s future as a self-sustaining, regionally owned, and globally connected Knowledge Consortium for the people of the HKH region.

This event will also mark the International Mountain Day with the announcement and presentation of the Dr. Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize 2025. The mountain prize is an annual flagship ICIMOD award, which seeks to find champions of nature in our region, reward their work, and accelerate their impact by raising their profile.

Objectives

This event aims to:

• Commemorate HUC’s journey towards its envisaged vision of an independent knowledge network for the HKH region,
• Acknowledge and appreciate those who contributed their time, knowledge and wisdom to HUC,
• Reaffirm our shared commitments to further strengthen HUC’s knowledge contributions to the mountain people and the environment,
• Ink an MOU between ICIMOD and KU for the formal transfer of the HUC Secretariat from ICIMOD to KU, and future collaboration, and
• Appreciate the individuals who dedicated their work in mountain development through the announcement and presentation of the Dr. Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize 2025.

Participants

Some 40-50 participants, including KU and ICIMOD leadership, Vice Chancellors of the HUC member universities from the region, members of the former HUC Steering Committee, Chair and members of the ICIMOD Programme Advisory Committee, ISG Chair and Co-chair, donors (i.e., World Bank, SDC, and NORHED, etc), PAC, winners of the Dr. Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize 2025, jury, SMC and regional media representatives will be invited to this event.

Proposed Programme