Phutung Research Institute
Explore Innovate Venture

From darkness · to light · to Life

Phutung Research Institute Explore · Innovate · Venture

A vibrant
R&D ecosystem
for developing
societies.

At the intersection of bold science, frugal innovation, and community transformation — PRI puts the photon to work for Nepal.

From darkness · to light · to Life

Non-profit · Charitable · Tax-exempt S&T institute · Nepal

Impact in Numbers

Peer-Reviewed
Publications

Water Tests
Conducted

Team Members
8 nationalities

Students Engaged
Yearly

It started with a question.

Why can't world-class research happen in Nepal? That question sparked a journey into the physics of light, water quality, and community-powered science.

Raman spectroscopy setup in the PRI lab

Building solutions for real problems.

700 children die daily from waterborne diseases. We built a lensless fluorometer that outperforms lensed systems — at a fraction of the cost.

realtimeWAS water quality monitoring device

Science for everyone.

From school stargazing to citizen science water monitoring — we're democratizing science across Nepal, one community at a time.

School children engaged in science outreach

Featured Research

Latest discoveries from the lab

All Publications →
Outcomes of the Fifth International Conference on Bioscience and Biotechnology, 2024 (ICBB-2024): Planetary Health—A Local Discourse

2025 · Conference Proceedings

Outcomes of the Fifth International Conference on Bioscience and…

he Fifth International Conference on Bioscience and Biotechnology, 2024 (ICBB-2024), held in Godawari, Nepal, from 21 to 24 April 2024,…

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Autofluorescence spectroscopy meets UNICEF’s target for water quality detection

2025 · Journal Article

Autofluorescence spectroscopy meets UNICEF’s target for water quality…

More than half of the global population lacks access to safe and tested drinking water. Recommended culture-based microbiological water…

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Research institutes from nest eggs: challenges and the way forward

2024 · Journal Article

Research institutes from nest eggs: challenges and the way forward

Small economies with limited financial, technical, governmental and human resources and governance capacity encounter a number of…

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Innovations

From lab to market

All Innovations →

realtimeWAS

Sub-ppb water quality monitoring in under 1 minute. Real-time, field-deployable, affordable.

Patent pending · Field trials ongoing

Nano3D: Imaging & Flexures

Sub-micron 3D printing for optical components — built for under $500. Open-source hardware.

Open-source · Hardware designs available

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Gallery

Life at the institute

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