On May 08, 2026, Falling Walls Lab Kathmandu 2026, hosted for the third time in Nepal at Kathmandu University School of Management in collaboration with Kathmandu University, DAAD, and the Falling Walls Foundation, brought together 14 finalists who were selected to showcase their solutions in three-minute pitches, presenting their innovative ideas aimed at addressing global challenges before a distinguished jury and an engaged audience.

The event was graced by an esteemed jury panel: H.E. Ambassador Udo Eugen Volz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Nepal, and Mr. Arthur Rapp, Director of the DAAD Regional Office in New Delhi, who served as Jury Chair. The jury was further strengthened by Dr. Babita Poudel, Founder of the Center for Natural and Applied Sciences; Mr. Brijesh Adhikary, Acting Director of KU RDI; and Mr. Rupesh Shrestha, Vice President of the Nepal German Academic Association.

All 14 finalists received special pitch training ahead of the competition from Dr. Bhaskar Das, Manager of the Bioincubator at KIIT Technology Business Incubator, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India.

Rojina Tandukar from Kathmandu University clinched the first prize with her visionary concept “Breaking the Wall of Postpartum Protein Deficiency.” She will now represent Nepal at the prestigious Falling Walls Lab Final in Berlin.

Shrisha Pandey from Tribhuvan University secured second place with her innovative approach, “Breaking the Wall of Invisible Pollution.” Rikrita Sainju from Kathmandu University claimed the third prize for her groundbreaking idea on “Multi-purpose Smart Insole for Gait and Generic Mobility Analysis.”

The Audience Choice Award went to Dr. Prakriti Dhakal from Nepal Sanskrit University for her inspiring work on “Sunscreen Incorporation with Tradition — Nature Based Solution.”

A huge thank you to all participants, student clubs, jury members, and our supportive audience for making this event a remarkable success.