Policy Pioneers Program · India House
INDIA NEEDS ITS BEST MINDS TO SOLVE ITS TOUGHEST CHALLENGES
A five-month blended public policy leadership program for early and mid-career professionals, scholars and changemakers ready to drive systemic change.
About the program
INDIA'S FLAGSHIP POLICY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Policy Pioneers is The India House’s flagship public policy program, built for early and mid-career professionals, scholars and changemakers ready to drive systemic change.
This five-month blended learning program gives you what it takes to create real-world impact: policy insight, leadership development, hands-on experience, and a network of experts, mentors and peers. Through live online sessions, in-person camps and applied project work, it closes the gap between policy theory and policy practice.
Policy Pioneers runs two cohorts a year, the Monsoon Cohort and the Winter Cohort, across six specialisations: Sustainability, Health, Education, Trade, Technology, and Public Systems and Governance.
The Winter Cohort 2026, running December 2026 to April 2027, offers Sustainability, Health, and Public Systems and Governance.
Policy Pioneers is offered across six specialisations, each exploring how policy is shaped, governed, financed, and implemented within a different domain.
Applications Now Open
Sustainability
Climate policy, financing, circular economy, resource management, geopolitics, standards, and the choices shaping India’s transition to a more sustainable future.
Applications Now Open
eDUCATION
How education systems are designed, regulated, & evaluated, from foundational learning and stakeholder roles to learning outcomes, and the future of education.
Applications Now Open
Public Systems & Governance
How India’s institutions function, from bureaucracy and Centre-State relations to local government, public finance, and the policymaking process.
Whichever specialization you choose, the program is built around four core experiences
Built with organizations that bring deep policy expertise and real-world perspectives into the program.
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE WINTER COHORT
December 2026 to April 2027. Phase II closes 27 September 2026.
Program Snapshot
WHAT TWENTY WEEKS CONTAINS
Selection Process
FOUR STEPS, ROUGHLY SIX WEEKS
Application
Submit the form with your background and a short written response.
15 minutes
Shortlisting
Reviewed for motivation, clarity of thought and fit with your chosen track.
2 to 3 Weeks
Interview
A conversation with the program team about your interests you
30 minutes
Selection
Offers go out with joining details, fee information and scholarship decisions.
1 Week
The Cohort
WHO YOU WILL BE SITTING WITH
Policy Pioneers keeps cohorts small, around 25 delegates per specialization, so that mentoring is close and the peer group is one you keep. Delegates come from government, research, consulting, industry, the development sector, and universities.
Civil Servants
Researchers
Doctors
Engineers
Lawyers
Entrepreneurs
Consultants
Development Professionals
The GALLERY
FROM PREVIOUS COHORTS
Faculty and Practitioners
TAUGHT BY PEOPLE WHO DO THE WORK
Serving and former civil servants, regulators, researchers, financiers and practitioners from industry and the development sector.
Program Journey
WHAT THE TWENTY WEEKS LOOK LIKE
Five stages, from the day you accept your offer to the day you present your project.
Offer accepted, fee settled and joining pack sent. You receive pre-reading, your cohort group and the full session calendar before anything begins.
Begin with orientation, cohort introductions, and an introduction to the policy domains. You understand how the programme works and the larger public systems context you will engage with over the next four months.
Cohort introductions
The cohort comes together for a three-day in-person camp featuring practitioner interactions, policy workshops, roundtables, simulations, field immersion, leadership conversations, and peer networking.
Field visit
Practitioner sessions
Work in a team of four or five delegates on a live public policy challenge, guided by a bureaucrat or practitioner. Research the problem, develop recommendations, refine them through feedback, and work towards a professional policy output.
Live policy challenge
The cohort reconvenes for the second three-day in-person camp, bringing together learning, relationships and applied work from across the programme. The journey culminates in project presentation, convocation, and transition into the wider Policy Pioneers network.
3 days
Peer network
Programme convocation
WHAT SETS POLICY PIONEERS APART
FOUR THINGS THAT ARE HARD TO COPY
Sessions are led by serving and former civil servants, regulators, researchers, academics, and industry practitioners who bring the realities of policymaking into the room, including how decisions are made, institutions are navigated, and trade-offs are managed.
FEES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
WHAT IT COSTS AND HOW WE HELP
We publish our fee. Nobody should have to fill in a form to find out what a program costs.
Winter Cohort 2026
Need-based support is available for every cohort. Applying for a scholarship does not affect your selection decision.
Fees can be split across the program rather than paid upfront.
- 100% refund: 3+ weeks before the program
- 60% refund: 2 weeks before the program
- No refund: Less than 2 weeks before the program
FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who is Policy Pioneers Program for?
Can I apply without a background in policy or political science?
What is Policy Pioneers Curriculum?
Can final-year students apply?
Still have a question? The brochure covers the program in detail, or write to us directly.
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE WINTER COHORT
December 2026 to April 2027. Phase II closes 27 September 2026.