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Cracked Earth

Bharatia - Climate Grand Challenges 2025-26

Mount Fuji in the Background

Grand Challenges - Climate

India, home to one-sixth of humanity, faces a unique set of grand challenges spanning various critical sectors. While many nations grapple with global issues, India is particularly susceptible to the impacts of these challenges, especially in areas like climate, healthcare, education, and societal equity & well-being. However, rather than simply adopting external solutions, India is ready to spearhead global progress with a distinct approach centered on scale, commercial viability, and pragmatism.

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Our strategy avoids minor adjustments, universal blueprints, or concepts imported from economies with different structures. Instead, we are committed to providing breakthrough solutions that are affordable, accessible, and scalable. Our initial focus, and a significant contribution to global efforts, is on addressing climate-related grand challenges. We aim to transform the climate crisis into an opportunity through the widespread deployment of disruptive technologies and locally relevant solutions, setting a precedent for how we intend to tackle other pressing issues in the future.

Stone Tower

Grand Challenges: Innovate. Impact. Inspire. Solving humanity's biggest hurdles, together.

 

In This Section:​

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Section
Approach

Grand Challenges - Implementation Approach

Sectors
The current set of grand challenges is focused on the climate sectors, further categorised under:

(1) Water

(2) Energy

(3) Waste

(4) Agriculture

(5) Transport and Mobility

(6) Cross-Sectional: Climate, Environment and Natural Hazards

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More sectors being added are: Urban, Advanced Manufacturing, and Biodiversity & Nature

Outputs

Each of the grand challenges that Bharatia is pursuing shall deliver the following outputs:

(A) First-of-a-kind (FOAK) commercial-scale project incorporating technology and operational innovation
(B) N-th-of-a-kind (NOAK) financial and global dissemination framework
(C) Key enablers framework

Approach
 

  • The grand challenges list will be dynamic and updated on an ongoing basis.

  • A working group will be formed for each Grand Challenge

  • A task-force made up of experts will be formed around each sector and functional expertise. Task force members can join multiple working groups.

  • Bharatia will present project briefs and concept ideas to the working groups for their additional inputs and suggestions.

  • Once the adequate level of suggestions have been received and internalised, the project(s) will move into finalisation of the consortium.

  • Bharatia will secure project financing and initiate the implementation.

Who can Participate
 

  • ​Knowledge partners

  • Project co-developer

  • Technology provider (full system)

  • Component suppliers (OEMs or digital systems)

  • EPC contractor

  • Financing Institution – equity, debt, insurance, guarantees and technical assistance

  • Change agents: local NGOs and individuals 

  • Media and Outreach

For more details, refer to the Process Guideline and Participation Guideline sections below.

List

List of Climate Grand Challenges

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Swimming Pool

A. Water​

Live Challenges

  1. No water pricing – No market

  2. How to develop comprehensive water data infrastructure 

  3. Managing drains and water bodies

  4. Improving management of sludge and septage  |  Live

  5. Agricultural Irrigation Efficiency

  6. Tackling Industrial Effluent in organised and unorganised segments

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Additional Challenges to be added soon

  • Underground pipeline network management

  • Reducing non-revenue water

  • Urban storm-water management

Floating Solar Panels

B. Energy​

Live Challenges

  1. Enabling low-carbon hydrogen production that is essential to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors

  2. Accelerating the growth of India’s biogas economy to unlock clean energy and rural livelihoods  |  Live

  3. Scaling up biofuel production as a strategic pillar of India’s low-carbon energy transition

  4. Enabling round-the-clock renewable power with Long-Duration Energy Storage is essential for energy transition

  5. Improving thermal management systems

  6. Enabling the geothermal economy

  7. Increasing deployment of AI green data centres

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Additional challenges to be added soon

  • Rural electrification

  • Green grid and grid strengthening

  • Energy Markets

  • Advancing Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCU/S)

Colorful Garbage Bins

C. Waste​

Live Challenges

  1. End of life tyres – turning a hazard into an opportunity

  2. Municipal waste – still far away from being sorted

  3. Enabling a structured commodity market for waste

  4. Managing plastic, electronic, food, farm and industrial waste streams
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Agricultural Fields

D. Agriculture

Live Challenges

  1. Top-soil continues to erode at a dangerous rate

  2. Adoption rate of advanced farming remains poor | Live

  3. Turning Agricultural Residues into a scalable biomass economy | Live
     

Additional challenges to be added soon

  • Farm yield improvements

  • Inadequate storage/cold-storage infrastructure leads to major loss of produce

Electric Car on Highway

E. Transport and Mobility

Live Challenges

  1. Accelerating the pace of EV charging network

  2. Establishing a robust and dynamic vehicle manufacturing and parts supply chain

  3. Enabling the EVTOL industry
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Additional challenges to be added soon

  • Enabling cable car ropeway transport network

  • Enabling inland water-way transport network

  • Reducing traffic grid-locks

  • Bringing greater road safety standards and practices

Walking in Water

F. Cross Sectional: Climate, Environment and

Natural Hazards

Live Challenges

  1. Reducing air pollution

  2. Managing ocean acidification

  3. Improving flood risk identification and prediction
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Additional challenges to be added soon

  • Infrastructure and resilience for natural hazards

Process

Grand Challenges - Process Guideline

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The following process will be adopted on delivering a solution for any Grand Challenge: 

1. Challenge Description

Each week, Bharatia will release a detailed note on any one of the listed Grand Challenges, providing context and inviting stakeholder participation to advance solution development. Challenges that have been initiated will be hyperlinked in the list above, allowing direct access to their full descriptions and engagement pathways.

The announcements will be listed on Bharatia's Linked-in channel and the website.

2. Working Group formation

Once the Challenge is live, the process to form a working group shall commence. Working groups will be made up of all participant groups as listed above. Each challenge shall have a corresponding working group. 

Interested parties may submit their expressions of interest even if the challenge is not live as yet. 

Individuals that are keen to participate across multiple challenges within a sector, may consider joining the sector task force. 
 

3. Stakeholder Consultation Workshop

Bharatia will convene stakeholder workshops to surface ideas, validate assumptions, and ensure broad-based inputs are incorporated into the design of each Grand Challenge.
 

4. Project Identification

This phase will focus on identifying one or more commercially and contextually viable projects under each Grand Challenge, based on relevance, scalability, and impact potential.
 

5. Partner Engagement

Key partners will be engaged during this phase to begin forming delivery consortia, bringing together technology providers, developers, prospective financiers and enablers aligned with the project goals.
 

6. Project Development

Comprehensive project development will be undertaken, including feasibility assessments, licensing, permitting, land allocation, sponsor and off-taker agreements, and all associated preparatory steps.
 

7. Project Financing

Structured financing will be secured through a blend of equity, debt, guarantees, and technical assistance, aligning with the risk-return profile of each identified project.
 

8. FOAK Implementation

Implementation of the First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) project will commence, with a focus on commissioning, operational stability, and demonstrating commercial and technical viability.
 

9. NOAK Scaling and Global Dissemination

​Frameworks will be developed to replicate and scale successful solutions (Nth-of-a-Kind or NOAK) across India and share learnings for global adaptation, especially across the Global South.

Participate

Participate in Grand Challenges

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Bharatia invites the following representative groups to participate in the Grand Challenges:​​​

1. Knowledge Partners

Knowledge partners bring research depth, domain expertise, and evidence-based insights to shape challenge design, validate assumptions, and build credible frameworks. Their involvement ensures technical rigour, policy alignment, and global best practices are embedded in project design and evaluation. They also help develop toolkits, performance benchmarks, and knowledge dissemination outputs.

Who can Apply:  Organisations of all types  |  Individuals cannot apply

2. Project Co-Developer

These partners play a critical role in conceptualising and structuring projects from the ground up. They collaborate across stakeholders, align objectives, prepare feasibility and project reports and co-develop bankable project plans. The co-developer shall take commercial risk of implementation and operations of the project.

Who can Apply:  Organisations with prior project development experience  |  Individuals cannot apply

3. Technology Provider (full system)

System-level technology partners bring end-to-end, field-tested solutions ready for deployment. They ensure operational viability, integration across components, and support customisation to Indian conditions. Their innovations are complete systems or alternatively they take responsibility for delivering the complete system and system-integration guarantee.

The technology shall have TRL > 7 and CRL > 5. Please see TRL/CRL scoring page for more details. For those that do not qualify can enrol in the ETV programme to boost their scores.

Who can Apply:  Organisations that are IP owners or have the license to deploy the technology and have system integration capabilities.  |  Individuals cannot apply

4. Component Suppliers (OEMs)

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) supply critical components—batteries, sensors, turbines, pumps, processors, or even digital sub-components—tailored to project needs. Their reliability, lifecycle performance, and cost efficiencies directly impact the long-term success of each solution. As solution stacks standardise, OEMs become key to scale replication and localisation.

Who can Apply:  OEMs or critical component providers  |  Individuals cannot apply

5. EPC Contractor

Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) partners ensure timely and cost-effective implementation. They translate designs into operational projects, manage supply chains, secure permits, and commission infrastructure. Their on-ground expertise and delivery capacity are essential to de-risk execution and ensure early proof-of-concept.

Who can Apply:  EPC contractor with relevant experience  |  Individuals cannot apply

6. Financing Institution

Financiers—spanning equity, debt, insurance, guarantees, and technical assistance—mobilise capital tailored to the risk-return profiles of climate solutions. They co-create funding strategies for FOAKs and design NOAK scaling frameworks. Their participation ensures financial discipline, credit enhancement, and bankability of climate innovations across sectors.

Who can Apply:  Any financing institution  |  Individuals may apply if keen on investing

7. Change Agents: Local NGOs or Individuals

Local NGOs and grassroots champions ensure community buy-in, equity, and last-mile delivery. They help adapt solutions to socio-cultural realities, facilitate behavioural change, and monitor impact. Their participation grounds innovation in lived experience and ensures inclusive, resilient outcomes.

Who can Apply:  Any NGO with relevant experience  |  Individuals may apply

8. Media and Outreach

Media partners amplify awareness, build public trust, and inspire participation. They translate complex challenges into compelling narratives, document success stories, and extend reach to investors, policymakers, and citizens. Effective storytelling turns solutions into movements and visibility into momentum.

Who can Apply:  Media and outreach organisations  |  Individuals may apply

Apply

Learn More and Apply

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Current Grand Challenge 

REGISTER INTEREST

  • Click the link below to register your interest in participating in the Bharatia Climate Grand Challenges 2025–26.

  • Please note, this is a preliminary application to help us evaluate your suitability.

  • You may express interest in multiple sectors and projects, but must choose only one primary role.

  • A separate, detailed application will be required for each challenge or project you wish to engage with.

  • Kindly share specific details about your interest in each challenge selected.

  • Once submitted, your interest will be recorded and you’ll receive alerts as those challenges go live.

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