The Nepal Weekly 
March 21, 2023
Kathmandu University (KU) organised Habitat Innovation Conclave, 2023 on March 17 in Kathmandu on the theme ‘Innovation and Sustainability: The Keys to our Future Habitats.’ The event was inaugurated by chairman of Nepal Engineering Council Prof. Dr. Padma Bahadur Shahi.
On the occasion, Prof. Dr. Sangeeta Singh delivered the keynote speech. She elaborated the present crisis situation and need of strong actions for building a livable world.
Former Minister for Science and Technology Er. Ganesh Shah also spoke on the occasion. He said that in recent times, urban areas are becoming unlivable due to unplanned urbanization, scarcity of water and air pollution mainly. Such problems have started to increase even in the rural areas as well. Therefore the conclave was organized to bring out innovative ideas to manage unorganized urbanization and make the city livable, he explained.
The event was participated in by experts, professionals from home and abroad. Students from KU and other institutions were also among the participants. Habitat Innovation Conclave was considered to be a platform that brings all the leading industrial professionals, researchers, decision makers, collaborative partners, industrialist and thought leaders under one roof to exchange and share their experiences. Innovation Conclave is preceded by one-of-its-kind Innovation Express that provides a platform for the new age innovators who think about solving existing problems with a new approach. Talented candidates from across Nepal and abroad will participate to exchange ideas with each other and the world. The conclave focused on the thematic areas such as Innovative Building Materials, Building codes, standards and practices, Planning, Design and Retrofitting with Emerging Technologies, Water and Sanitation, Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Women in Engineering and Habitat. Harnessing the skill set to drive innovation – which will add value to the lives of people and helps pursue inclusive growth was also the agenda linked to the thematic areas.
Keynote session, presentation, speech, innovation showcase were the part of the conclave. Multidisciplinary forum provided spaces to present and discuss innovations, trends, strategies, challenges and solutions of thematic areas during the event sessions.
The panel discussions include various speakers, including Deputy Director Dr.Roshan Raj Shrestha of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Deputy Chief of NEEP Narayan Prasad Chaulagain, President of NSET Dr.Amod Mani Dixit, Prof. Dr. Sangeeta Singh, Pulchowk Campus, Programme Manager of UN Habitat Pragya Pradhan, Founder of Abari Nripal Adhikary, Prof. Dr. Amy R Sapkota, School of Public Health Building, University of Maryland. “HIC 2023 aimed to provide a platform to graduated students for exchanging and sharing cutting-edge developments and research in energy, science and engineering,” said Prof Dr. Bim Prasad Shrestha, convener for HIC 2023.
