The Research and Development Department operates under the ethical framework and regulatory provisions of the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Government of Nepal. Guided by the Institutional Research Committee, the department ensures that all research activities adhere to national and international ethical standards while promoting innovation that advances healthcare for all.
Ethics form the foundation of all responsible research practices. In healthcare research, ethical and scientific considerations are equally vital — any ethical inadequacy is as significant as a methodological one. The primary goal of research ethics is to safeguard human dignity while advancing knowledge that benefits society.
All research involving human participants must strictly comply with the guidelines established by the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), the national authority under the Government of Nepal responsible for regulating, monitoring, and promoting ethical health research. Researchers are obligated to uphold the principles of beneficence (maximizing benefits), non-maleficence (minimizing harm), and justice (ensuring fairness), while maintaining full respect for the rights, culture, and welfare of participants.
Harms in research can include physical, psychological, social, or economic impacts. Hence, researchers must demonstrate sensitivity to participants’ wellbeing and cultural context throughout the study process. Before any data collection or participant recruitment, all research proposals involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by a duly constituted Institutional Review Committee (IRC) recognized by NHRC.
Our department is committed to promoting an ecosystem of responsible innovation — supporting clinical studies, public health investigations, and collaborative projects that contribute to national and global healthcare advancement, while ensuring strict adherence to the NHRC’s ethical and legal provisions.