CBAS, ICIMOD Discuss Expanded Cooperation in Research and Capacity Building
18 Aug 2026
A delegation from the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) visited the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, from July 29 to 30, 2026.
The delegation met with ICIMOD's Regional Information Service team and Climate and Environmental Risks Strategic Group to review ongoing research and discuss future cooperation. The talks focused on projects under the National Natural Science Foundation of China's Sustainable Development International Cooperation Science Program and the CBAS Global SDG Partnership Program, research activities for the second half of 2026, and long-term collaboration under the CBAS-initiated Digital Sustainable Development Goals Programme (DSP) and ICIMOD’s forthcoming Medium-Term Action Plan VI.
SUN Zhongchang, head of the Cooperation and Development Office at CBAS, thanked ICIMOD for its longstanding support and cooperation. He reviewed key milestones in the partnership, including the cooperation agreement signed on June 11, 2025, during the Forum on Building the Pathway to Innovation Supported by Space Information Technology at the Second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange.
He also highlighted the successful final review of the CBAS Global SDG Partnership project implemented by ICIMOD on Sept. 7, 2025. The project's outcomes received unanimous recognition from the expert panel. SUN said these achievements had strengthened mutual trust and laid a solid foundation for closer cooperation in joint research and capacity building.
During the meetings, SUN presented progress on the NSFC-funded project titled "Development Pathway Decision Support for the Construction of Environment-Society Big Data Platform in Typical Hilly Regions." DENG Siming, international affairs officer at CBAS, presented the final outcomes of the CBAS Global SDG Partnership project and introduced the DSP's research priorities and international cooperation network.
The two sides identified several priority areas for future collaboration, including joint field surveys and data collection, co-authored publications and reports, and exchanges in digital sustainable development, mountain ecosystem and environmental conservation, and regional sustainable development.
ICIMOD participants included ZHANG Qianggong, head of Climate and Environmental Risks; David Potter, head of Regional Action and Global Advocacy; YI Shaoliang, country focal point for China; Birendra Bajracharya, interim senior intervention manager for Regional Information Service; Sudip Pradhan, senior geospatial application development specialist; and Feng Yuan, communications officer for China.
CBAS and ICIMOD representatives at ICIMOD headquarters in Kathmandu. (Image by Jitendra Bajracharya/ICIMOD)
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CBAS, ICIMOD Discuss Expanded Cooperation in Research and Capacity Building
A delegation from the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) visited the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, from July 29 to 30, 2026.
The delegation met with ICIMOD's Regional Information Service team and Climate and Environmental Risks Strategic Group to review ongoing research and discuss future cooperation. The talks focused on projects under the National Natural Science Foundation of China's Sustainable Development International Cooperation Science Program and the CBAS Global SDG Partnership Program, research activities for the second half of 2026, and long-term collaboration under the CBAS-initiated Digital Sustainable Development Goals Programme (DSP) and ICIMOD’s forthcoming Medium-Term Action Plan VI.
SUN Zhongchang, head of the Cooperation and Development Office at CBAS, thanked ICIMOD for its longstanding support and cooperation. He reviewed key milestones in the partnership, including the cooperation agreement signed on June 11, 2025, during the Forum on Building the Pathway to Innovation Supported by Space Information Technology at the Second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange.
He also highlighted the successful final review of the CBAS Global SDG Partnership project implemented by ICIMOD on Sept. 7, 2025. The project's outcomes received unanimous recognition from the expert panel. SUN said these achievements had strengthened mutual trust and laid a solid foundation for closer cooperation in joint research and capacity building.
During the meetings, SUN presented progress on the NSFC-funded project titled "Development Pathway Decision Support for the Construction of Environment-Society Big Data Platform in Typical Hilly Regions." DENG Siming, international affairs officer at CBAS, presented the final outcomes of the CBAS Global SDG Partnership project and introduced the DSP's research priorities and international cooperation network.
The two sides identified several priority areas for future collaboration, including joint field surveys and data collection, co-authored publications and reports, and exchanges in digital sustainable development, mountain ecosystem and environmental conservation, and regional sustainable development.
ICIMOD participants included ZHANG Qianggong, head of Climate and Environmental Risks; David Potter, head of Regional Action and Global Advocacy; YI Shaoliang, country focal point for China; Birendra Bajracharya, interim senior intervention manager for Regional Information Service; Sudip Pradhan, senior geospatial application development specialist; and Feng Yuan, communications officer for China.
CBAS and ICIMOD representatives at ICIMOD headquarters in Kathmandu. (Image by Jitendra Bajracharya/ICIMOD)