KATHMANDU, June 13: Representatives from government, business, academia and startup communities from Nepal and India gathered in Kathmandu on Thursday to explore opportunities for collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, according to a press release issued by the Embassy of India in Nepal.
The seminar, titled "India-Nepal Partnership in Emerging Technologies: Exploring Bilateral Opportunities for AI Collaboration," was jointly organized by the Embassy of India in Nepal and the Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI).
The event featured a keynote address by Dr. Pratyush Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Sarvam AI, one of the organizations selected under the Innovation Centre pillar of India's AI Mission to develop indigenous foundational AI models.
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Speaking at the seminar, NICCI President Sunil KC underscored the importance of technology-driven economic cooperation between Nepal and India and encouraged Indian AI companies to explore investment and partnership opportunities in Nepal.
Suman Shekhar, First Secretary (Commerce) at the Embassy of India in Nepal, highlighted the growing economic and technological ties between the two countries. He noted that the second cohort of the India-Nepal Startup Partnership Network (IN-SPAN) programme began on June 1, with 25 Nepali startups participating in an eight-week fully funded training and innovation programme at IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation in Chennai, according to the press release.
The Embassy stated that nine startups from the first cohort received incubation offers from the IIT Madras Incubation Cell and IIT Madras Pravartak Foundation.
During his keynote address, Dr. Kumar discussed the rapid advancement of AI technologies, including large language models, and stressed the importance of data sovereignty, talent development and inclusive AI solutions. He also highlighted opportunities for joint research, training programmes and knowledge exchange between Nepal and India, the press statement said.
The seminar also spotlighted recent cooperation in digital technologies. Last week, the Digital India Bhashini Division under India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kathmandu University's Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence (DPI-AI) to promote collaboration in language AI, multilingual digital public infrastructure and inclusive digital ecosystems.
The agreement was exchanged in New Delhi in the presence of Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal.
According to the organizers, the seminar reflected growing India-Nepal cooperation in emerging technologies and ongoing efforts to strengthen innovation ecosystems in both countries.
