Hands-on Projects · Policy Pioneers Program

Real Projects.
Real Mentors.

For 13 weeks, delegates work directly with senior bureaucrats and public systems leaders on a live governance challenge — turning classroom frameworks into implementation-ready outputs.

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Policy Pioneers delegates and mentor in a working session
Delegate presenting their Hands-On Project to Judges
WHAT IS A HOP

The Heart Of The Policy Pioneers Program

The Hands-on Project is a self-driven journey where delegates apply what they learn in the classroom to a live governance challenge: Messy, complex, and full of possibilities.

Designing a Process-Oriented Framework for Teacher Transfers in Government Schools

Each project is anchored by a senior bureaucrat or practitioner who brings years of administrative wisdom, system insight, and strategic clarity. Support structures exist through mentors, project coaches, and bi-weekly check-ins but ownership of the outcome rests with the delegates.

While the curriculum builds analytical depth, the Hands-On Project builds practical muscle: navigating ambiguity, engaging stakeholders, and delivering results that districts, departments, and parliamentary offices can actually use.

Be a Policy Pioneer
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

What a HoP Creates

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Theory into practice
Bridges theory and practice on live governance challenges.

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Real-world competence
Builds real-world competence in ambiguity and stakeholder navigation.

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Systems thinking
Creates systems thinkers who understand constraints and levers.

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Leadership
Strengthens leadership through ownership of team outputs.

THE JOURNEY OF A HOP

Discovery, Design, Delivery

Three phases, supported throughout by structured feedback loops with mentors and project coaches.

1

Discovery

Mapping the problem, the stakeholders, and what the mentor’s institution actually needs.

  • Problem framing and stakeholder mapping
  • First mentor meeting: scope agreed
  • Secondary research and context-building
2

Design

Stress-testing hypotheses and shaping them into a practical, implementable model.

  • Framework drafted and pressure-tested
  • Mid-project mentor review
  • Scope narrowed to what’s actionable
3

Delivery

Producing a policy note, playbook, or tool built for administrative use.

  • Final mentor sign-off meeting
  • Professional-quality delivery
  • Handover for potential real-world use
↻  Every phase runs on a feedback loop: 4–5 mentor meetings and bi-weekly India House check-ins keep the work grounded, iterative, and administratively feasible.
4–5
Structured mentor meetings across the 13-week cycle
Bi-weekly
Check-ins with India House and external project mentors
65–80 hrs
Deep, structured team effort behind every delivered output
The projects

30+ Live Governance Challenges, Two Cohorts

Plastic Waste Management in Eco-Sensitive Zones — Best Hands-on Project team
Inaugural Cohort · 2025

Best Hands-on Project of the Inaugural Cohort

Plastic Waste Management in Eco-Sensitive Zones was recognised as the standout Hands-on Project of India House's first-ever Policy Pioneers cohort. The team — Amaraja Kulkarni, Sanket Desai, Sangram Jagdale, and Shaurya Garg — worked under the mentorship of Shri Bhaskar Khulbe (IAS: 1983 retd.), Officer on Special Duty to the Uttarakhand Government, to design a governance framework for plastic waste in India's Eco-Sensitive Zones.

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Read the report Plastic Waste Management in Eco-Sensitive Zones · opens in a new tab
Context

Challenge

Description

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE WINTER COHORT

December 2026 to April 2027. Phase III closes 18th October 2026.

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