CNSUK was conceived in 2006 by a group of freshly graduated UK doctoral scholars and other experienced social scientists with an ambitious research project of conducting a systematic census of the Nepali population in the UK. With the British Government allowing the post-1997 retired British Gurkhas to settle in the UK, there had been a sudden upsurge in the size of the Nepali population in the UK. That the UK census 2001 had clearly undercounted Nepali ethnic population and there had been no other studies to understand the size and socio-demographic dynamics of this fast growing ethnic group in the UK, in 2007 - 09 CNSUK in collaboration with NRNA UK and voluntary support of hundreds of community organisations and individuals successfully materialised the idea by executing a large survey of Nepalis in the UK. This groundbreaking research, in which 95 per cent of the total cost of about £315,000 was met through voluntary contribution, has produced spectacular results, which have been widely disseminated to, and applied by, several local and central government agencies, researchers, community groups and individuals. An edited book: Nepalis in the United Kingdom: An Overview has come out of this project.
CNSUK’s aim is to carry out research in the issues related to ethnic minority and integration; community cohesion; population and migration; social mobility; labour market; health; education; gender; religion and culture; conflicts; British Gurkhas; rural and international development; and environment in the UK and elsewhere.
CNSUK has a team of professionals, trained from reputed UK and other international universities, and have significant research experiences in other reputed international institutions. Furthermore, the organisation benefits from a range of skills and experiences of well-established university professors, and practitioners, who act as the advisors of CNSUK. From time to time, CNSUK also appoints research fellows and associates. The organisation is currently led by Executive Director Mr. Lokendra Purush Dhakal.