Schaeffler India Launches Social Innovation Fellowship 2026–27

Schaeffler India Ltd, a leading motion technology company, announced the launch of the Schaeffler India Social Innovation Fellowship 2026-27, a future forward initiative aimed at recognizing and empowering individuals who are developing innovative, sustainable solutions that have the potential to drive meaningful social and environmental impact. The initiative, now in its fifth year, represents the company’s long-standing dedication to driving inclusive progress through innovation and technology.

The fellowship is designed to identify, support, and accelerate 10 high-potential social innovators from across India, with a deliberate focus on entrepreneurs from Tier II, Tier III, and rural geographies. Through financial grant, structured mentorship, industry exposure, and access to leading innovation ecosystems, the program enables innovators to strengthen and scale solutions addressing some of India’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. The 24-week cohort program delivered by IIMA Ventures at IIM Ahmedabad, equips fellows with business, impact, and investor readiness capabilities.

“At Schaeffler, we believe that technology and innovation have the power to create meaningful social change. The Schaeffler India Social Innovator Fellowship is more than a fellowship; it is a platform that nurtures purpose-driven innovators, enabling them to transform bold ideas into scalable solutions that address some of India’s most pressing development challenges,” said Harsha Kadam, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Schaeffler India Ltd.

Since its inception in 2021, the fellowship has supported over 41 early-stage social innovators across India, helping them strengthen their ventures through financial assistance, mentorship, and access to industry networks. Several fellows have gone on to receive national recognition, attract investments, and successfully scale their innovations.

Applications for the 2026–27 cohort are open from July 15, 2026, and close on August 31, 2026, to individual innovators, startups, and organizations (for-profit and non-profit) between 18 and 35 years of age who have developed functional prototypes and are working to solve critical development challenges across healthcare, agriculture, education, sanitation & WASH, clean energy, livelihoods, manufacturing safety, mobility, environment, and sustainability.

Selected startups will receive mentorship, learning opportunities with IIMA Ventures, and ecosystem access, along with fellowship grants of INR 2 lakhs each, structured networking opportunities, and post-program impact tracking to support the growth and scale of their innovations.

The selection process includes application screening, document verification, multi-stage evaluation, interactions with subject matter experts, and a final jury presentation before industry leaders.

The Schaeffler India Social Innovator Fellowship Program 2026 is implemented by IHFC (I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics) in partnership with India Accelerator, serving as the program management and evaluation partner, and IIMA Ventures, delivering the cohort-based mentorship and venture development program.

For more information: www.schaeffler.co.in