Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research (NCCR) is a Kathmandu based not for profit sharing research organization duly registered at the Office of the Company Registrar, Government of Nepal. NCCR is engaged in theoretical, policy and action oriented research in collaboration with different international research institutes and universities mainly in the areas of agriculture and agrarian change, resource governance, livelihood, public policies, conflict and peace, migration and mobility, human security (food, water, health and environment), service delivery and state building. As an independent think-tank institution, the vision of NCCR is to contribute to create equitable, just and peaceful society through generating the sound empirical evidences by working in partnership with a broad range of actors. NCCR conducts methodologically rigorous, theoretically strong, practically relevant research to contribute policy changes to address the contemporary societal challenges. Working principles of NCCR are: a) relevance (working to contribute for addressing societal problem), b) working in compliance with democratic norms and value system, c) cost efficiency and work effectiveness and d) gender equality.

History:

NCCR has a history of evolvement from the South Asia Coordination Office of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South. One of 20 long-term research programmes, NCCR North-South had been founded in 2001 and is being implemented by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in collaboration with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It focuses on international research cooperation and promotes high-quality disciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research. It aims to create an improved understanding of the status of different syndromes of global change, the pressures these syndromes and their causes exert on different resources (human, natural, economic), and of the responses of different social groups and society holistically. It also enables research institutions to enhance partnerships with institutions in developing and transition countries, thereby building competence and capacity of research to develop socially robust knowledge. NCCR North-South programmes are coordinated by Regional Coordination Offices (RCOs) in each region. Its South Asia Regional Coordination Office (SAs RCO) is located in Kathmandu, Nepal.

NCCR North-South was created through the Swiss Parliament for specific time period and the SAs RCO will phase out in June 2013 as per the preset programme. The South Asia Regional Office was directly managed by NCCR North-South in an agreement with the Government of Nepal. Hence, understanding the need to continue researches in contemporary issues in South Asia, Board of Directors of the NCCR North-South and the Review Panel suggested to explore options to institutionalise the achievements made so far in South Asia. Then, the Regional Advisory Board of South Asia and the RCO decided registering Nepal Center for Contemporary Research (NCCR) not only to institutionalise the achievements made so far but also to carry over the recognition attached with NCCR North-South. Thus, Nepal Center for Contemporary Research is registered in the Office of the Company Registrar, Ministry of Industry, Government of Nepal (396/068/069) in May 2012.

Vision: NCCR’s envisions to contribute to create equitable, just and peaceful society through  generating the sound empirical evidences .

 

Mission: NCCR, an independent think-tank institution, fulfils its vision by working in partnership with a broad range of actors (research institutions, universities and likeminded organizations & individuals) to provide independent, evidence-based analysis and research findings to contemporary issues affecting lives and livelihoods of  people of Nepal and beyond. 

 
Goal: To conduct methodologically rigorous, theoretically strong, practically relevant research to contribute policy change & improve livelihood of people.

 
Objectives: Enriched by its vision, the institution aims to:

•  contribute to addressing the evidence based research, thematic research and development-oriented research and analysis;

•  promote informed policy debate on its thematic areas;

• help the government and other relevant policy makers in the formulation and implementation of relevant policies and their effective implementation and;

• develop NCCR as independent evidence based research institute in the global arena.

 

Working principles: NCCR has set of working principles collectively promoted by its members as a) Relevance (working to contribute for addressing societal problem), b) Working in compliance with democratic norms and value system, c) cost efficiency and work effectiveness and c) gender equality.