Social Innovation Hub
People Working Under the Vertical
Mr. Prashant Girbane
Mr. Prashant Girbane is General Secretary and Trustee of Pune International Centre. He has 15+ years of experience. He has worked with multilateral agencies like United Nations Organisations, advised Commonwealth Secretariat. He has also worked with TATA Consultancy Services based out of London, UK with global responsibility. He is an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. He is also the Member Secretary of this advisory panel.
Neeraj Thakur
Head
Swarali Gore
Program Coordinator
Prasad Walave
Program Coordinator
Social Innovation Hub
The Social Innovation Hub at PIC is dedicated to nurturing products and services that address unmet social and developmental needs. By fostering a robust innovation ecosystem, we not only create sustainable solutions but also generate employment opportunities and cultivate a thriving entrepreneurial spirit.
We prioritize empowering communities, supporting local talent, and developing scalable solutions that effectively address the unique challenges within our environment. This approach ultimately promotes inclusive growth and fosters long-term social impact.
Annual Flagship Event: National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI)
The National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI) is a premier platform that brings together grassroots innovators, policymakers, philanthropists, and ecosystem enablers from across the country. It serves as a space for social entrepreneurs to present innovative solutions that address complex social and environmental challenges. By fostering collaboration and dialogue, NCSI facilitates the integration of grassroots innovations with the resources and networks essential for their growth and impact. Applications are invited under three categories—tribal, rural, and urban—ensuring diverse socio-economic contexts are represented. The most promising solutions in each category are recognized and awarded, inspiring broader participation in social change. In doing so, NCSI strengthens the ecosystem for inclusive and sustainable development while amplifying the work of changemakers.
Key Initiatives
The Social Entrepreneurship Mentorship Programme (SEMP) is a structured initiative designed to support early-stage social entrepreneurs by connecting them with experienced industry professionals. This nine-month, cost-free programme is exclusively offered to the finalists of the National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI), providing them with mentorship to enhance their capacity, refine their business models, and accelerate their impact. SEMP mentors come from diverse backgrounds, including information technology, finance, entrepreneurship, social development, academia, public policy, and impact investing. With deep expertise in their respective fields, they offer strategic guidance, helping entrepreneurs navigate challenges, optimize operations, and access funding and networking opportunities. SEMP equips social entrepreneurs with the skills, insights, and connections needed to build scalable and sustainable ventures by fostering knowledge exchange and practical learning.
The Shared Service Centre for Social Enterprises (SSC-SE) is a centralized support hub designed to provide emerging social enterprises with essential professional services, including legal, financial, branding, and compliance support. By offering these resources, SSC-SE enables social entrepreneurs to focus on scaling their solutions sustainably. Initially established as a sister programme to SEMP under Social Innovation, SSC-SE was created to complement mentorship by addressing challenges that require specialized professional support. SSC-SE service providers are curated and vetted professionals offering expert consultancy in their respective domains. While originally serving SEMP finalists, the initiative has now been extended to the broader Social Innovation Lab database of social entrepreneurs, ensuring wider access to high-quality, affordable, and tailored professional services.
Services Provided by the Shared Service Centre for Social Entrepreneurs (SSC-SE):
- Digital Marketing
- Export-Import Documentation
- Legal Compliance
- 2D/3D Animation Video
- Accounting & Audit
- Website Development/Revamp
- Intellectual Property Rights
- HR Consulting
- Facilitating Funding & Pitch Deck
- Brand Building
- CSR Proposal & Documentation Support
Regular workshops and curated learning sessions featuring domain experts, practitioners, and social entrepreneurs to strengthen the competencies of aspiring changemakers and social entrepreneurs.
Roundtable conferences bring together industry experts, social entrepreneurs, mentors, and CSR heads for collaborative discussions, focusing on key themes such as CSR and tribal innovation to foster knowledge exchange and explore actionable solutions.
Beyond Profit Perspectives is a series of conversations with CSR heads from esteemed organizations like Bajaj Finserv, Cummins India, Thermax Foundation, and Forbes Marshall, offering insights into their CSR initiatives, ongoing projects, and expectations from potential partners.
The Research Fellowship in Social Innovation offers a prestigious opportunity for junior researchers to pursue impactful research under the mentorship of distinguished senior fellows. With expertise spanning areas such as women entrepreneurship, tribal innovation, and social innovation, the program fosters academic growth and meaningful contributions to the field.
Focus Areas
The vertical critically examines the full spectrum of Social Innovation, including:
Podcast: Beyond Profit Perspectives
