Research and development (R&D) in hydraulics and sediment is an ongoing activity at Hydro Lab. The identified activities for research and development include cost effective sediment handling in run-of-river hydropower plants, alternative ways of sediment handling, online sediment monitoring, creation of a headworks database and improvement in headworks design, reservoir sediment management, etc. The findings from the research are disseminated to the professionals by organizing workshops/seminars, delivering lectures and arranging demonstrations in the laboratory.

Generating funds for research and development always becomes a challenge for the company. Hydro Lab alone does not have the capacity to raise funding for such activities and therefore, it is crucial to obtain funding either from the Government of Nepal or from other donor agencies to continue its contribution to the R & D programmes. To cope with such a scenario, research and development activities at Hydro Lab have been funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Norway, through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu. The funding supports have been received in different phases since the establishment of Hydro Lab to date.

Energize Nepal Program:

A consolidated Nepal Energy program called “Energize Nepal” was formulated from the partnership of Kathmandu University (KU), Hydro Lab Pvt. Ltd., SINTEF Energi AS and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for capacity development in the energy sector in Nepal. Capacity enhancement in hydropower and other renewable energy development is one of the main components of this program. Thus, to support renewable energy development in Nepal and in the region, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) awarded a grant for the Energize Nepal program for five years starting from July 2016 in the first phase and then it was upscaled with additional funding for up to mid-2025.