The Nepal Health Research Council is a national apical body responsible for providing scientific study and quality health research in the country with the highest level of ethical standards. It started as a Nepal Health Research Committee under the Ministry of Health, chaired by the Secretary of Health in 1982 AD (BS 2039). On 11 April 1991 (29 Chaitra 2047 BS), the committee was developed as the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), a statutory and autonomous body as promulgated by the Nepal Health Research Council Act No. 129 of the year 1991 of Government of Nepal. With the consent of the Council of Ministers under Article 129 of the constitution of the Government of Nepal, 1990 enacted the NHRC.
The primary responsibility of the NHRC is to promote and coordinate health research with the objective of bringing about improvement in health status of people of Nepal. NHRC do or cause to do research on the health and health-related problems of national priorities. NHRC cooperates with the Ministry of Health (MoH), nongovernment agencies, private sectors and other relevant ministries to provide consultation, assistance, and advice in all matter related to health research, policies and health care services. The council promotes research competencies of the national scientist through research training and grants. NHRC also acts as a national regulatory body for maintaining technical and ethical standards of health research within the country. The Council thus conducts an ethical review of research protocols submitted by researchers, national authorities, non-government agencies and academic institutions
