About the Policy Pioneers Program
India stands at a structural inflection point.
AI is reshaping labour and regulation. Trade tensions are rewriting economic alignments. Balancing economic growth with social equity. Policy decisions taken in the next decade will determine whether India scales intelligently or reacts late.
The real challenge is not a lack of talent, but a lack of systemic leaders, individuals who understand technology beyond innovation hype, trade beyond headlines, and governance beyond social media discourse.
What India needs are professionals who can think institutionally, design robust policy frameworks, and operate within complex systems, not merely critique them from the outside.
That’s exactly what the Policy Pioneers Program is built for.
The Policy Pioneers is a 4-month blended learning program offered by India House, in collaboration with IIT Delhi (Public Systems Lab) built for early and mid-career professionals, and changemakers who want to move from awareness to action with policy as their tool to create systemic change.
After successfully running the first cohort with 70+ delegates who worked on 15+ live policy projects and learned from 50+ faculty and senior practitioners, India House is now accepting applications.
What Sets Policy Pioneers Apart?
- Learn by Doing: Work on live policy projects that reflect real governance challenges. Analyse systems, build solutions, and apply frameworks in practical, structured ways, not just theory.
- Direct Mentorship: Engage closely with senior bureaucrats, policy practitioners, and institutional leaders. Understand how decisions are made, how trade-offs are handled, and how policies move from idea to implementation.
- Career-Focused Pathways: Gain clarity on careers in public policy across government, think tanks, multilateral institutions, and advisory roles. The program is designed to help you transition with direction, not guesswork.
What you’ll find?
- Policy Skillbuilding: Develop core capabilities in policy reading, analysis, data-driven research, and structured communication to navigate complex governance challenges.
- Experiential Learning: Work on real-world policy issues through field exposure, simulations, and Hands-On Projects designed around live governance problems.
- Focused Specialisation: The option to concentrate your learning in one of three tracks: Technology, Trade, or Governance.
- Tech-Driven Innovation: Learn how emerging technologies can be leveraged to build scalable, evidence-based solutions for systemic impact.
- Systemic Understanding: Build a comprehensive understanding of India’s governance architecture, institutional dynamics, and policy ecosystems.
Eligibility
The Policy Pioneers Program is crafted for early and mid-career professionals and changemakers who are ready to switch gears and drive change through public policy as a tool.
Whether you are a graduate or post-graduate from any discipline: engineering, humanities, business, or sciences, this is your gateway into the world of governance reform, public leadership, and systemic change.
You don’t need a technical background, only an unshakable drive to make an impact.
Applications Are Open!
India’s development trajectory over the coming decades will be shaped by those who understand institutions and choose to strengthen them from within.
If you are ready to move from observation to participation, and from discussion to execution, Policy Pioneers Program offers a structured pathway to begin.
Phase 1 ends on: 22nd February 2026
Click here to know more about the program.
Click here to apply.
