Background:
The research at HCOE covers a wide range of activities beginning from the basic level to the standard level. The philosophy of HCOE research is to train & actively engage our students and faculties in research & publication activities. Under this philosophy, HCOE has focused on the following activities to strengthen its research and publication wing of the university education.
Research Activities at HCOE:
- Students’ Minor Project Works:
Students and faculties are the center point of HCOE research activities. The Bachelor level third year students of Computer Engineering, Electronics; Communication & Information Engineering; and Computer Science and Information Technology programs carry out minor project works required by the curriculum. These minor project works are indeed the best activities to introduce the fundamentals of research to our Bachelor level students. Therefore, we are focusing our attention on the minor project work to train our students in research activities. Our faculties provide mentorship to introduce research activities through the minor project works, encourage students to prepare scientific articles, and publish the outcomes in the Journal of Himalaya College of Engineering (JHCOE).
- Students’ Major Project Works:
The four-year Bachelor level academic programs of Tribhuvan University in engineering and IT fields require students in their final year to carry out major project work for one-year duration. This is another wonderful opportunity to train our students in research and publication activities, which are an integral part of twenty-first century university education. Our students are encouraged and assisted in selecting research-oriented themes for their final year project work and trained to prepare scientific research articles & publish the articles in JHCOE & other journals.
- Students’ Final Year Research Works:
The 5th (final) year students of Bachelor of Architecture program carry out individual research activities as required for their final year thesis works. Experienced in-house and external faculties are involved in supervising their research activities. This is indeed a wonderful opportunity for Bachelor level students to lay down their foundations of research & publications. The students from the beginning are oriented and guided to conduct good research works, prepare scientific articles, and publish them in JHCOE & other journals and present them at conferences.
- HCOE Research Grants:
Research is a basic component of today’s higher education, and the role of faculties is crucial to prepare the foundation of research & publications in our Bachelor level students. In addition to the students’ projects and thesis works required by the university curricula, HCOE is always committed to enriching the experiences & enhancing skills of our students and faculties in research & publications through internal research grants. In this regard, “Mini-Research Grant” involving faculties in leading roles and students in supporting roles is started from 2082 BS. This kind of activity will definitely enhance skills and confidence of our faculties and students to compete for other external research grants and ultimately create a conductive ambience for research & publications within the institution.
- Individual & Collaborative Faculty Research:
The research activities in different forms mentioned above are limited within the HCOE boundary and aim to prepare basic foundation of our faculties and students in research & publication. Our faculties are encouraged to initiate and conduct research activities & publish the outcomes on individual basis as well as in collaboration with colleagues inside and outside the college. The college also has established clear policies and procedures to recognize individual & collaborative research & publications of our in-house faculties.
- External Research Grants:
Many external research grants are also available and particularly our faculties are highly encouraged & facilitated in applying for outside research grants on institutional capacity. The following are some of the common research grant providers outside HCOE relevant to the faculties at HCOE.
- The University Grant Commission (UGC) of Nepal
- Nepal Academy of Science & Technology
- Tribhuvan University (TU) Research Directorate
- Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN)
- International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
- The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
The Research Management Cell (RMC) at Himalaya College of Engineering disseminates information on research grants to our faculties. Also, it conducts orientations, seminars, workshops etc. to our faculties for preparing effective research grant proposals. Furthermore, HCOE ensures positive environment for faculty researchers within the college through clear policies and guidelines after receiving such external research grants.