Nepal keeps borrowing the drones that save Nepali lives. RTDF builds our own.
A public fund from the Robotics Association of Nepal, raised in three stages to put Nepali-built robotics into the hands of Nepali responders — for forest fires, glacial floods, avalanche rescue, and the mountain portering that shouldn't cost a life.
Four hazards, one shortage of home‑grown technology
Nepal's disaster losses now outpace its own capacity to prevent, detect and respond to them. These figures — from government and international agencies — define where RTDF's four hazard domains are aimed.
Forest fires
Over six recent years Nepal logged 19,593 fire-related incidents and 593 deaths, with Rs 26.71 billion in losses. Forest fires alone killed 110 people over the last five fiscal years — and the Department of Forests has recorded more than 34,700 forest-fire incidents since 2008. 2026 is forecast as a severe fire year.
Glacial lake outburst floods
ICIMOD and the Government of Nepal classify 47 glacial lakes across the Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali basins as potentially dangerous, 21 of them inside Nepal. Nepal has recorded 26 GLOF events since 1977. The August 2026 Bhote Koshi flood killed at least 157 people and swept away at least 19 bridges and road sections.
Portering and high-altitude search & rescue
Porters routinely carry loads exceeding their own body weight into terrain with almost no mechanical assistance. The 2014 Thorong La blizzard killed 43 people, most of them porters and herders, in the largest Himalayan SAR operation to that date. Nepal now logs over 500 helicopter evacuations a year on trekking routes alone.
The current baseline
Between mid-April and late August 2026, NDRRMA recorded 5,014 disaster incidents nationwide — 1,136 fires, 1,011 landslides, 480 high-wind events and 273 floods — killing 250, injuring 1,607, and damaging 6,272 households. This is the operating baseline RTDF is built against: not isolated events, but an escalating national pattern.
One fund, raised like an expedition — in three camps
RTDF is a single public fund with three cumulative milestones. Each one unlocks a larger, pre-defined scope of work, so every donor can see exactly what their stage of the climb pays for.
Camp I — Foundation $100,000+
Establishes fund governance and audit systems, launches the national robotics-club grant programme, issues first seed grants to 2–3 startups working on early-stage disaster-tech prototypes, and scopes the first international exchange cohort.
Camp II — Scale $1,000,000+
Expands startup funding to a full annual grant cycle across all four hazard domains, funds the first field-deployable prototypes — a forest-fire detection network pilot and a GLOF sensor pilot — runs the first full exchange cohort, and begins province-level club expansion.
Summit — National deployment $10,000,000
Funds multi-district field deployment of proven technology — heavy-payload SAR and portering drones, a GLOF early-warning network — establishes a recurring annual grant cycle, and formalises RTDF as a standing national fund with government/NPC co-recognition.
Camp I, indicative use of funds
What we measure, stage by stage
- Robotics clubs funded and students reached
- Startups funded per hazard domain, and technology readiness achieved
- Exchange participants and partner institutions engaged
- Field-deployable prototypes produced, and — from the Summit stage — districts with deployed RTDF technology
Four pillars, built to compound
Clubs feed startups. Startups feed deployable technology. Exchange programmes bring proven methods home. Every pillar is designed to make the next one stronger.
Robotics clubs
Seed grants, mentorship and competition support for school- and university-level clubs nationwide — building the pipeline of engineers RTDF's later work will depend on.
Startup funding
Direct grants and seed investment to Nepali startups building deployable technology for fire detection, GLOF early warning, SAR robotics or autonomous portering.
Exchange programmes
International placements and reciprocal exchanges so Nepali engineers and pilots train on — and help adapt — disaster robotics already proven elsewhere.
Disaster-tech R&D and deployment
Direct funding across all four hazard domains — fire detection, GLOF monitoring, mapping and heavy-payload drones, and portering or recovery robotics for terrain too dangerous to send people into repeatedly.
A fund donors can audit, not just trust
RTDF's governance extends RAN's existing compliance and financial-management frameworks, built specifically for a public, multi-currency fundraising campaign.
Independent oversight
A steering committee, separate from RAN's day-to-day operations, approves every grant and R&D disbursement against the staged use-of-funds plan.
Transparent reporting
Public quarterly reports on funds raised, funds disbursed, and grantee progress — published on the campaign page for anyone to check.
Milestone-based grants
Every startup or club grant is tied to a disbursement schedule against milestones — never a single lump-sum payment.
Annual independent audit
An independent financial audit of the fund is published every year, alongside the donor-facing reports.
One campaign, four ways to take part
RTDF is a collective effort — Nepal-based donors, the diaspora, NGO/INGO co-funders and corporate CSR partners contributing to the same transparently governed fund.
Local giving
Bank transfer, mobile wallets (eSewa/Khalti), and in-person or event-based giving, with a donor receipt for every contribution.
Global giving
International card and bank transfer through the campaign page, plus coordinated group giving with diaspora organisations.
Grant co-funding
Formal grant applications aligned to one of RTDF's four pillars — co-funding alongside public donations, not replacing them.
CSR partnership
Sponsorship tiers tied to a pillar — a club cohort, a startup grant, an exchange placement — with reporting and recognition built in.
Build Nepal's answer to its own disasters
Every Contribution moves the RTDF toward the next unlocked camp - whichever way you're able to give.
Individuals
Give what you can. Every donation/gift - Local or Diaspore moves RTDF toward Camp I.
Scan & donateNGOs & INGOs
Co-fund the R&D that fits your existing disaster-risk reduction programming
Request a concept noteCorporates
Sponsor or support our R&D or donate us materials as part of your CSR commitment, with reporting built in.
Ask about CSR tiersAccount Holder: Robotics Association of Nepal
Bank: Nepal Investment Mega Bank Ltd.
Branch: Thamel
Account Type: Current Account
Account Number: 01601030033220
SWIFT Code : NIBLNPKT