The G.T.A. Foundation has opened a competitive grant programme to support master’s-level health science students at Nepalese universities, offering five awards of NPR 60,000 each to fund research that addresses critical public-health challenges in Nepal.
Targeted support for early-career researchers
The Graduate Research Grant 2026 is aimed at strengthening research capacity among graduate students and encouraging evidence-based, innovative projects with practical relevance to Nepal’s health system. The initiative emphasises work that can generate actionable findings for policymakers, clinicians and community health actors.
Successful applications will focus on one or more of the grant’s priority themes, which include:
- Antimicrobial resistance and immunization research, encompassing antibiotic use, infection prevention and vaccine coverage;
- Maternal and child health, addressing prenatal and postnatal care, nutrition and access to services;
- Mental health and suicide prevention;
- Planetary health and environmental determinants of health;
- Oncology and non-communicable disease research;
- Applications of artificial intelligence in health.
Funding details and eligibility
The programme will award a total of NPR 300,000 across five grants, each valued at NPR 60,000. Applicants must be enrolled in master’s-level health science programmes at Nepalese universities. The funding is designed to cover direct research costs associated with approved proposals.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of grants | 5 |
| Grant value (each) | NPR 60,000 |
| Total funding | NPR 300,000 |
Why small grants matter
Even modest awards can play an outsized role early in a researcher’s career. For master’s students, seed funding can enable pilot studies, data collection, field visits or small-scale intervention testing that generate preliminary evidence and support future, larger grant applications. By concentrating on applied problems such as antimicrobial resistance, immunization barriers and maternal and child health, these projects may help fill knowledge gaps directly relevant to Nepal’s health priorities.
The programme’s inclusion of topics such as planetary health and artificial intelligence reflects a growing recognition that health outcomes are shaped by environmental change and technological tools. Encouraging students to explore these intersections aligns with broader global trends in health research and the need for multidisciplinary approaches.
Application timeline and next steps
Prospective applicants should note the application deadline of 5 September 2026. The foundation’s call invites proposals that demonstrate clear public-health relevance, feasible methods suited to the grant size, and realistic plans for producing useful, evidence-based recommendations.
For master’s programmes and universities, the grant offers an opportunity to cultivate research skills and to strengthen ties between academic training and on-the-ground health needs. For the health sector, it creates a pipeline of locally produced research that can inform policies, programmes and community-level interventions.
Details on application procedures, eligibility checks and selection criteria are provided by the foundation; interested students should consult the official announcement to prepare proposals that align with the funder’s priorities and submission requirements.
