Jury Panel – SAKSHAM Innovation Bootcamp 2026

As part of Project SAKSHAM, Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra (SSK) is undertaking a range of capacity-building initiatives for small and medium-sized civil society organisations (CSOs) across eight states in India. The project has facilitated a series of short-duration offline and online training programmes on areas including leadership, programme management, proposal development, gender sensitisation, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL).

A key component of the project is the Social Innovation Challenge for CSOs, aimed at identifying and supporting innovative solutions emerging from civil society organisations. Following a call for innovative proposals issued in April 2026, a number of proposals were received from CSOs across India. After an initial screening and assessment, approximately 15 proposals were shortlisted for the next stage of the process—the Innovation Bootcamp, scheduled to be held in New Delhi in September 2026.

The Innovation Bootcamp will provide a structured and collaborative platform for CSOs and emerging social enterprises to develop and strengthen their innovative ideas through the different stages of the innovation lifecycle, including ideation, problem definition, prototyping, testing, and scaling. The bootcamp will culminate in a final pitching session, where participating organisations will present their innovative solutions before a panel of jurors.

Following the pitching session, the jury will identify the most promising and innovative solutions. Selected innovations will receive an innovation grant of approximately EUR 10,000, along with mentoring and coaching support to facilitate further development and implementation. The initiative will place particular emphasis on supporting women-led initiatives and aims to nurture and support 4–6 innovations during the project period.

Dr. Rajesh Tandon will participate as a juror on the panel for the Innovation Bootcamp. He will join the jury deliberations on 16 September 2026, at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, New Delhi, contributing his expertise and perspectives to the assessment of innovative solutions proposed by participating CSOs.