National Summit of Health and Population Scientists in Nepal : Achievements and Lesson Learned Over a Decade

Abstract

For the past eleven years, Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) has been organising an annual event: National Summit of Health and Population Scientists in Nepal. This has become the leading platform for connecting research, policy, and practice in the country. Since its inception in 2015, it has evolved with changing public health needs, national reforms, and global priorities such as evidence-based decision making, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), federalisation, resilience, equity, population, and climate change.
In 2015, the NHRC welcomed 500 participants and delegates. Over the past eleven years, annual participation has consistently exceeded 1,000 attendees. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period, more than 10,000 individuals joined virtually. The NHRC has strengthened multi-sector collaboration, expanded partnerships, and developed the event as a key policy dialogue platform for translating research into action.
Key achievements include shaping national policy discourse, promoting a culture of evidence-informed decision making, research excellence through competitive awards, generating more than 1,600 research presentations, and publishing scientific evidence during public health emergencies. It also highlighted the visibility of the NHRC and its role in promoting evidence in practice. However, challenges persist in ensuring systematic follow?up, effective translation of evidence into policy and practice, and deeper engagement of provincial governments and communities. This article reviews the evolution of the summit, its achievements, and policy influence, and identifies opportunities to further strengthen its impact.
Keywords: Evidence-based decision making; federalisation; health research policy; health systems strengthening; national summit.