On April 7th, 2023, an international symposium (HRCHR-2023-Workshop of Erosive Characteristics on Francis Turbine) was held by Hydropower Research Center for Himalaya Region (HRCHR) in a combination of offline and online meetings. The workshop is supported by the project of Research Based Education for Development of Hydropower Professionals (Hydro-Himalaya). More than 30 scholars from Wuhan University and Kathmandu University participated in this conference. Prof. Zhongdong QIAN, who is the Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science and Director of the Himalayan Hydropower Research Center, is the chairman. Assoc. Prof. Zhiwei GUO and Assit. Prof. Sailesh Chitrakar were the co-chairs.

Prof. Zhongdong Qian and Prof. Hari Prasad Neopane of Kathmandu University  delivered speeches, respectively.

The first batch of the joint students, Kushal Shrestha, Ravi Poudel and Suprim Shrestha, gave presentations on the topics of the influence of the clearance of guide vanes on wear of Francis turbine, experimental research on the performance characteristics of the turbine in sediment-laden flow and numerical simulation of Francis turbine. The second batch of the joint students, Rakish Shrestha and Prithvi Gurung, reported the research progress in sediment wear of the turbine and the plans for coming exchange to Wuhan University.

Dr. Sailesh Chitrakar of Kathmandu University made a concluding speech and stressed the results of the cooperation between China and Nepal were very valuable.

The workshop provided an important platform for the exchange of results on the frontier scientific issues in hydropower development in the Himalayan region, serving the national "Belt and Road" strategy.