Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS)

What Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS) does

Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS) is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit research institute established in 2017 and registered in Lalitpur, Nepal (registration no. 4512/073, Social Welfare Council affiliation no. 45260). It operates as a team of 13 scientists and technicians focused on developing tools and techniques to address contemporary questions in biological sciences, with research spanning infectious diseases (HIV, dengue, scrub typhus), natural products (actinomycetes isolation, antimicrobial potential), and computational and systems biology across genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.

KRIBS organizes its work through three departments (Infection and Immunology, Natural Products, Computational and Systems Biology), a co-established Biosafety Level-2 (BSL-2) laboratory facility at the Biomedicum Research Campus in Lalitpur, and the KaVA (KRIBS anti-Viral Antibody discovery) Program launched in 2021. The BSL-2 facility enables handling of Biosafety Level 1/2 pathogens and associated human clinical samples, including PBMC isolation, long-term cryopreservation, and in-vitro stimulation assays. The KaVA program screens and characterizes antibodies with immune effector functions including ADCP, ADCC, and antibody-dependent neutralization, with a current focus on broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against HIV under ERC funding.

The institute's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: no products or services are sold, and operating capital comes from competitive international grants (European Research Council, ESCMID, ASTMH, PHA4GE) and academic collaborations. Its served 'customers' are research institutions, academia, and healthcare collaborators rather than paying buyers. KRIBS disseminates work through peer-reviewed publications, the Biomedicum and KRIBS seminar series, workshops, and active participation in international conferences (ICBB, ECCMID, RTSTI). As of 2026 it is ranked 4th globally in Biological Sciences and 7th across all subjects in Nepal in the Nature Journal Index.

Name

Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS)

Legal name

Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS)

Website

https://kribs.org.np

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS) is a non-profit research institute in Lalitpur, Nepal conducting infectious disease, immunology, natural products, and computational systems biology research through three departments, a BSL-2 laboratory, and the KaVA anti-viral antibody program, serving academic and clinical collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing (Trial Support) (HLAGAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bioanalytical Testing (PK/ADA/NAb) (HLAGADAA), Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST) (HLAHAAAC)

Keywords

• Infectious disease research
• Immunology research
• Antibody discovery
• Computational systems biology
• BSL-2 laboratory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lalitpur

HQ country

Nepal

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KRIBS is a non-profit research institute that conducts biological sciences research across infectious diseases, natural products, and computational and systems biology. It operates a BSL-2 laboratory for handling infectious pathogens and clinical samples, and runs the KaVA anti-Viral Antibody discovery Program focused on screening and characterizing antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic development. Outputs include peer-reviewed publications, trained scientists, and educational resources such as seminar series and workshops.

Product overview

Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS) is a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profit research institute established in 2017. The organization operates through three research departments (Infection and Immunology, Natural Products, Computational and Systems Biology), a dedicated Biosafety Level-2 Laboratory facility, and the KRIBS anti-Viral Antibody discovery Program (KaVA-Program). KRIBS conducts research on infectious diseases, develops immunological assays, provides educational resources through seminar series, and publishes scientific findings. The institute collaborates with international research institutions and offers training programs for young scientists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KRIBS anti-Viral Antibody discovery Program (KaVA-Program) Research program launched in 2021 focused on screening and characterizing antibodies produced during infections that can exert diverse immune effector functions, including antibody-mediated viral neutralization, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis for disease diagnosis and therapeutic antibody development.
• Biosafety Level-2 (BSL-2) Laboratory Facility State-of-the-art BSL-2 laboratory facility co-established with Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology (RIBB) at the Biomedicum Research Campus in Lalitpur, Nepal, for working on biosafety level 1/2 pathogens and associated human clinical samples, including PBMC isolation, long-term storage and cryopreservation, and in-vitro stimulation assays.
• KRIBS Educational Resources (Seminar Series) Educational seminar offerings including the BioMedicum Seminar Series and the KRIBS Seminar Series that host international scientists and internal researchers presenting on topics including SARS-CoV-2, immunology, microbiology, and bioinformatics, alongside workshops on scientific writing and genomic techniques.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology (RIBB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-established the Biomedicum Research Campus with a Biosafety Level-2 laboratory facility. RIBB and KRIBS collaborate on infectious disease research and training young scientists. Jointly organized conferences (ICBB 2022, 2024, 2026) and workshops.
• University of Marburg, GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership in virology. KRIBS researcher Anurag Adhikari conducted collaborative visit and scientific information sharing seminar on RNA Virus research in Germany.
• University of Cologne, GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on HIV research through the KaVA Program. European Research Council funded study on broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) isolation from HIV patients.
• University of New South Wales (UNSW), AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaborative research in immunology and virology. Multiple joint publications and researcher exchanges including PhD student supervision.
• Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM), UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation for organizing the one-day meeting on Microbiological Sciences for Nepal in 2018. SfAM provided generous support for the event.
• Chosun University, KoreaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as collaborator and funder with institutional logo displayed on KRIBS website.
• Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research (HIPS), GermanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as collaborator and funder with institutional logo displayed on KRIBS website.
• Kathmandu Center for Genomic and Research Laboratory (KCGRL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshop organizer for Scientific Writing and Poster Preparation workshop in collaboration with ASM and Microbe Notes.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for workshops including Scientific Writing and Proposal Development workshop supported by ASM's Young Ambassador Project Fund.
• U.S. Embassy KathmanduminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKRIBS researcher presented talk on antimicrobial resistance at academic symposium organized by U.S. Embassy Kathmandu.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Institut Pasteur: Historic French non-profit research foundation with a global network dedicated to infectious disease research, immunology, and vaccine development. Comparable mission (non-profit infectious disease R&D, international network, training) and operational model, though vastly larger in scale and resources.
• Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology: Established German research institute under the Max Planck Society conducting fundamental and translational research in infection biology, immunology, and molecular medicine. Comparable scientific scope (BSL work, immunology, systems biology) though at much greater scale and resources.

Regional players

• African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC): Africa-based non-profit research institute generating evidence for public health policy through biomedical and epidemiological research. Comparable as a non-profit research institution serving a LMIC region with similar grant-funding model and capacity-building mission, though different geographic focus.

Direct peers

• Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp: Non-profit research and teaching institute focused on tropical and infectious diseases, combining wet-lab research with capacity building in LMICs. Directly comparable to KRIBS in mission, structure, and translational infectious disease focus, though operating at materially greater scale in Belgium.
• International Vaccine Institute (IVI): International non-profit organization devoted to developing and introducing new vaccines for infectious diseases in developing countries. Directly comparable as a non-profit LMIC-focused infectious disease R&D organization with similar funding model (grants, partnerships) and capacity-building mandate.
• International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB): International non-profit research organization with laboratories in Italy, India, and South Africa conducting biotechnology and infectious disease R&D. Highly comparable mandate — non-profit R&D in life sciences with a focus on capacity building in developing countries, mirroring KRIBS's mission.
• Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine: German non-profit tropical medicine and infectious disease research institute with BSL-equivalent facilities, focusing on virology, immunology, and emerging pathogens. Comparable in scientific scope (virology, immunology, BSL lab operations) and non-profit academic structure.
• Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control: Japanese university-affiliated research center focused on zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases with BSL-3/4 capabilities. Comparable in infectious disease and immunology research scope, though with higher biosafety containment tier and larger scale.
• La Jolla Institute for Immunology: Independent, non-profit biomedical research institute specializing in immunology and infectious disease with international collaborations. Closely aligned in mission (non-profit immunology research, antibody characterization work overlapping with KaVA program) and operating model.
• Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology (RIBB): Co-located Nepali research institute that jointly established the BSL-2 laboratory at the Biomedicum Research Campus and co-organizes ICBB conferences with KRIBS. Operates in the same biological sciences research space in Nepal with overlapping infectious disease and biotechnology focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KribsNepal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTpl0axOB_rUNzwkJh0uBdg
• Facebookfacebook.com/KRIBSnepal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kribsnepal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS)