Sumeena Karki awarded funding to further her research

Sumeena Karki, Meryl Williams Fellow and Founder of RARA BIOTECH, Nepal’s first all-female led biotech company, has been awarded funding through the ARSF3-ECR program. As this funding opportunity from Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) focuses on enabling researchers to undertake projects that build resilience and respond to challenges the COVID-19 pandemic imposes on agricultural systems, Sumeena hopes to harness biotechnology to offer more opportunities for those who have lost employment in recent years.  

Sumeena’s project takes a two-tiered approach to solving this problem. Not only focusing on upskilling those in need of employment but also developing processes that enable medicinal and aromatic plants to be produced locally, opening Nepal up to the market opportunities that exist in the production of alternative medicines and essential oils.  

“Support from the ARSF program provides us with a better chance of accessing the local job markets, enhance employability and produce a more skilled workforce. Pairing this with the validation of a quality product with scientific validation can see biotechnology contributing to the economic empowerment of those most affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Shares Sumeena.  

More information on the Alumni Research Support Facility (ARSF) funding rounds can be found here. (link to: https://www.aciar.gov.au/ARSF