The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. ICIMOD serves as an open house for knowledge initiatives on sustainable mountain development. The Knowledge Management and Communication (KMC) unit at ICIMOD helps produce, package, and communicate information and knowledge products in the form of publications, databases, multimedia, and web content, all of which are globally available online.

The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) – an Initiative under ICIMOD’s regional programme on Mountain Knowledge and Action Networks (MKAN) – has its mandate in developing an effective, sustainable network of universities in the HKH, in collaboration with academic, research and knowledge generating and exchange institutions both within and outside the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.

About the customized course

ICIMOD is a founding member and host of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), a network of 80 higher education institutions within and outside the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. The HUC’s mandate is to strengthen capacity for and promote regional and global collaboration in research and education for sustainable mountain development among members. The Royal University of Bhutan has been an active member of the HUC since 2016.

Given the RUB’s need for knowledge management and ICIMOD’s capacity in the same, an introductory course on knowledge management and communications has been designed by professionals at ICIMOD for RUB staff members. The course is a part of efforts by the HUC and ICIMOD to strengthen institutional capacity for sustainable mountain development in the HKH. The course caters to staff members with more than 10 years’ experience in management and administration, responsible for coordinating and managing the dissemination of knowledge generated by the RUB to various stakeholders for a wide range of usage.

Expected outcomes

Participants are expected to obtain an overall understanding of knowledge and communication systems applicable in the higher education institution context. By the end of the course, they should be able to:

• Manage university staff’s data and publications using information management systems, thereby contributing to quality class room teaching
• Engage in library management and explore sharing of a knowledge network with HUC Libraries through e-services
• Disseminate publications through policy briefs and press releases for print, broadcast, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to improve outreach

Participants will also be introduced to project management in the academic context. They will obtain a preliminary understanding of:

• The importance of Theory of Change and Management-by-Result Framework in academic activities
• Medium-term research project management cycle
• The importance and practice of monitoring, evaluation, and learning
• Networking and partnership building in the academic context

Participants will also have an opportunity to visit Kathmandu University’s campus to learn about good practices in management.