Raj Kharel

About me

Raj is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) researcher doing a PhD in Innovation. His research focuses on investigating the Economic and Political Impacts of clustering R&D funds in Europe's core regions. Besides quantitative assessments, he will also do a case study on 3 EU Mission Cities (Horizon Europe) - Leuven, Helsinki and Stavanger - contrasting each of their efforts in transitioning towards Net Zero Cities. Findings from his research will be critical in designing EU’s R&D strategies – including beyond 2030.

Academic background

Raj's academic journey has included:

• an MSc in Local Economic Development (LED) from the London School of Economics, UK
• an MSc in Welfare Policies and Management from Lund University, Sweden (Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals)
• a BA in Social Work from Kathmandu University Nepal (St. Xavier's College)

He compliments his academic journey with industry experiences as well. He has been a consultant at the World Bank, Nepal; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), France; and a policy researcher at the National Planning Commission (NPC) of Nepal.