Just two years later, in 1989, the Ev-K²-CNR Committee was founded, an independent, private, non-profit association for the promotion and development of technological and scientific research in the Hindu Kush-Karakorum-Himalaya (HKKH) region, placing particular emphasis on Nepal, Pakistan, China (Tibet Autonomous Region), India and Bhutan.

The Committee, still led today by Agostino Da Polenza, conforms to the strategies and commitments of CNR, regarding management of research; knowledge development; promotion of innovation and research networks; and support of public administrations and technological solutions that meet the needs of mountain populations through capacity building and international cooperation. Following these guidelines, about a dozen projects are carried out every year, within the framework of three-year strategically-planned programs.

Committee members include researchers from CNR institutes, Italian and foreign universities and other experts. Together, they form a strong network of collaboration operating through intergovernmental and inter-institutional agreements involving UN Agencies, national scientific institutions and NGOs, to ensure the high quality of research and optimization of results.

Thanks to ongoing support from CNR, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policy, Ev-K²-CNR contributes to substantially improving the wellbeing, quality of life and economic opportunities of mountain populations, while protecting and valorizing mountain natural resources.

The Ev-K²-CNR Committee mission is to provide specialized scientific support aimed at the sustainable development of high altitude remote areas to ensure environmental conservation and quality of life for local populations by furthering scientific knowledge, transferring scientific results applied to sustainable management of mountain regions, pursuing capacity building activities, and promoting cooperation in the respect of local cultures and traditions.

The Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory high altitude scientific research center, dedicated to Prof. Ardito Desio, was constructed in 1990 at 5,050 m (16,568 ft.) a.s.l. , in the Khumbu Valley, Sagarmatha National Park, at the base of the Nepali side of Everest. Since then, the Pyramid, managed by the Ev-K²-CNR Committee together with the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), has become a unique resource for the international scientific community. To date, 520 scientific missions have been carried out there by 220 researchers of 143 scientific institutions from several nations.

The three-story glass, aluminium and steel structure, with its stable square-based pyramid shape [13.22 m (43.37 ft.) x 8.40 m (27.56 ft.) high], is equipped with advanced technological instrumentation and facilities, including telecommunications and internet. It is totally self sufficient, using only clean energy sources and providing eco-sustainable systems for waste disposal and heating.

An independent living unit on the south side of the Pyramid, built in typical Nepali lodge style, provides living conditions which meet the standards of the best alpine huts. Up to 20 researchers, technicians and logistical staff can be accommodated there.

The creation and existence of the Pyramid International Laboratory - Observatory were made possible thanks to a framework agreement between the Italian National Research Council and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) which will be renewed in 2006, for another 5 years. The addendum attached to this agreement (renewed for the same period of time) between NAST and the Ev-K²-CNR Committee regulates technical, organizational and scientific activities to be performed at the Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory. The addendum concerns scientific and cultural activities carried out within this international collaboration and represents the protocol which researchers must follow while working in Nepal. The document also describes the duties of both partners.

The Bilateral Technical Committee (BTC) is a bilateral Committee made up of members of the Italian Ev-K²-CNR Committee and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). Its task is to evaluate research projects proposed within the framework of the joint Ev-K²-CNR/NAST High Altitude Scientific and Technological Research Project and eventually approve their activation at the Pyramid Laboratory. The BTC normally meets once a year alternating the meeting location between Italy and Nepal. The BTC is regulated by an Addendum Agreement between the two organizations,