• National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge | Stage 1: Application Form

    The National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge seeks to outline a viable Climate Stack for rural India to support DiCRA’s evolution from a Digital Public Good into a Digital Public Infrastructure by embedding credible, localised near-term (10–15 year) hazard forecasting and interoperable modelling frameworks within its architecture.

    At this stage, applicants are expected to submit a clear conceptual and implementation framework, identifying relevant data streams and sources, assessing interoperability and API pathways, proposing the modelling layer, and illustrating how outputs can translate into practical decision-support use cases.

    The Challenge is open to research institutions, universities, startups, private-sector innovators, public sector entities, and other multidisciplinary teams with demonstrated expertise in climate science, data modelling, agriculture, finance, or related domains.

    Applicants may focus on climate hazards relevant to India’s agricultural and rural systems, including heat waves, extreme precipitation, floods, cyclones, droughts, and landslides. All submissions are required to use DiCRA datasets as the core data backbone, with additional datasets layered where relevant and appropriately justified.

    The Challenge will run from March to June 2026. Shortlisted teams must be available to participate in a 6–8 week guided model development sprint, including structured engagement with the Technical Advisory Committee.

    Top solutions will receive cash awards totalling INR 30 lakh and may be considered for post-Challenge pilots, integration with DiCRA, or adoption through NABARD and partner programmes, subject to feasibility and relevance.

    The last date to submit this application is 26 March 2026.

    All questions are compulsory unless otherwise specified. Please ensure that file permissions are set to allow viewing of any linked documents. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

  • Organisation / Institution Name *
    Applicant Type *
    *Applicants must be affiliated with a particular institution
    Primary Contact Person - Name *
    Primary Contact Person - Email *
    Primary Contact Person - Phone Number *
    Supporting document to verify institutional affiliation  *
    Upload a letter of affiliation, authorisation letter, appointment letter, no objection certificate, or equivalent document confirming the applicant’s association with the stated organisation
    Upload File
    Up to 20 MB
    Website / Organisation Profile Link *
    Details of past or ongoing projects/work orders (if any) *
    (Provide brief details of relevant government assignments, work orders, or other projects undertaken by the organisation in the last 5 years. Add links to ongoing projects/work orders where available.) Word limit: 100
    Climate hazard(s) being modelled(select one/many) *
    Thematic Area (select one/many) *
    Geographic focus of the proposed model *
    (India-wide, agro-climatic zones, states, districts, etc.) Word limit: 50
    Primary use case being addressed *
    Decision context and end user *
    (Describe the use case - who uses this, what decision it informs, and at what scale) Word limit: 150
    How will DiCRA datasets be used in your model? *
    (Specific layers, indicators, or time series, if known) Word limit: 150
    Additional datasets proposed (if any)
    (Public, proprietary, remote sensing, field data, etc.) Word limit: 100
    Proposed modelling approach using DiCRA and other datasets *
    (Brief description of methods, assumptions, and outputs) Word limit: 200
    Approach to validation and uncertainty handling *
    (Back-testing, benchmarks, error metrics, uncertainty communication) Word limit: 150
    Potential pathway for integration with DiCRA *
    (APIs, standards, open models, hosting, interoperability) Word limit: 150
    Longer-term outcomes if scaled nationally *
    (Impact on farmers, finance, policy, or systems) Word limit: 100
    Do you have an existing product, prototype, or model related to this work? *
    Link to existing product / demo / dashboard (if available) (URL)
    Link to prior publication, working paper, or technical documentation (if available) (URL or DOI)
    Please use this space to upload any supplementary documents (e.g., presentations, briefs, technical notes) that support your application (optional) *
    Upload File
    Up to 20 MB
    Core team members and roles *
    (Name, role, and domain expertise; 3-5 people) Word limit: 150
    Relevant prior experience *
    (Climate modelling, agriculture, finance, policy, or deployment) Word limit: 150
    Availability for the 6–8 week model development sprint from mid April to May *
    Please put Yes or [Other availability: clarification]
    Willingness to engage with Technical Advisory Committee and Jury *
    Willingness to engage with NABARD to scale the solution with DiCRA post the challenge *
    Declaration *
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