The IEEE International Conference on ICT and Photonics (ICTP 2026) and the KAIST Global Digital Innovation and Impact workshop have officially commenced in Kathmandu, bringing together researchers, academics, innovators, and students from Nepal and abroad to strengthen collaboration in digital innovation and emerging technologies.
ICTP 2026 marks a significant milestone as the first IEEE conference ever hosted in Nepal. The three-day event is jointly organized by the Research and Innovation Center Nepal (RICON) and Nepal Engineering College, with technical sponsorship from the IEEE Nepal Chapter and IEEE Photonics Society Nanjing Chapter, and co-organization by KAIST’s Global Digital Innovation program.
More than 200 participants are attending the event, which aims to promote knowledge exchange across fields including ICT, photonics, artificial intelligence, and digital governance. Speaking at the opening session, Republic of Korea Ambassador to Nepal Tae-young Park described the conference as an important step for Nepal’s scientific and academic community and highlighted the growing partnership between Nepal and South Korea in technology and innovation.
The ambassador noted that ICT remains a priority area of bilateral cooperation, with the Korean government supporting several major digital infrastructure initiatives in Nepal through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). These include the Government Integrated Data Centre (GIDC) in Kathmandu, which manages and secures public data, and the Disaster Recovery Centre (DRC) in Hetauda, designed to ensure continuity of government data systems in the event of disasters.
Additional cooperation includes the development of a modern Cyber Bureau for Nepal Police, supported by an $8 million KOICA grant, aimed at strengthening digital forensics capabilities and addressing rising cybercrime threats, with operations expected to begin by the end of 2026.
