Pune: The Pune International Centre (PIC) is set to host the 13th National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI 2025) on November 17 at its Panchwati campus in Pashan, Pune.
The annual flagship event celebrates transformative social innovations from across India, offering a national platform for changemakers.
From over 180 entries received this year, nine social innovators have been shortlisted as finalists in the Tribal, Rural, and Urban categories. Each category winner will receive a cash award of ₹50,000 for their outstanding contribution to addressing pressing social challenges.
Eminent leaders to address NCSI 2025
At NCSI 2025, distinguished scientist and President of PIC, Dr R A Mashelkar, will deliver a special address focusing on India’s future in social innovation. The keynote address and chief guest session will be delivered by Siddharth Sharma, CEO of Tata Trusts.
The Urban Innovation Session will be chaired by Kurush Irani (Head CSR, Bajaj Finserv Limited), while the Rural and Tribal Innovation Sessions will be led by Yogita Apte (Head CSR, Persistent Systems) and Arun Jethmalani (Founder, ValueNotes and Investor, Indianotes), respectively.
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Panels to highlight entrepreneurship, CSR, and impact funding
NCSI 2025 will feature three thematic panel discussions:
- Success Stories of Social Entrepreneurs featuring Shubham Singh (Craste), Santosh Phad (Thinksharp Foundation), and Proteek Kundu (NeevJivan), moderated by Pramod Athalye (Bourton Consulting India).
- CSR Funding Opportunities with insights from Sachin Mardikar (The Nudge Institute), Sudipto Marjit (Tata AutoComp Systems), and Jyoti Divgi (Divgi Group), moderated by Amit Bhargava (BiofuelCircle).
- Impact Investors’ Panel with Mandar Dixit (Social Alpha), Raghvendra Rao (India Health Fund), and Vivek Pawar (i4C), moderated by Gireendra Kasmalkar (Pentathlon Ventures).
National participation and innovation themes
Entries for NCSI 2025 have come from across India, including Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Tamil Nadu. The selected innovations address diverse social issues spanning ecology, education, health, agriculture, livelihoods, and social awareness.
Collaboration for social impact
Organised jointly by the Pune International Centre (PIC), National Innovation Foundation (NIF), and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), the NCSI 2025 conference connects social innovators with mentors, investors, and CSR leaders to accelerate their growth and societal impact.
PIC’s Social Innovation Hub continues to mentor NCSI finalists, offering support in business planning, funding access, and digital outreach.
The Centre also facilitates partnerships between innovators, investors, and CSR departments. Additionally, its Shared Service Centre for Social Enterprises (SSC) offers affordable services across digital marketing, accounting, legal compliance, design, and intellectual property management.
