NABARD Launches Climate Stack Innovation Challenge for Rural India

NABARD, in Partnership with Gates Foundation and Dalberg, Launches National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge to Build Climate Intelligence for Rural India

New Delhi, Mar 6: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), in collaboration with The Gates Foundation and Dalberg Advisors has announced the launch of the National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge, a national initiative to strengthen India’s climate resilience architecture by building the foundational layers of a National Climate Stack for rural India.

India’s climate risks are intensifying, with heatwaves, floods, droughts, and cyclones placing increasing pressure on agriculture and rural livelihoods. While climate data availability has improved, near-term hazard forecasting remains fragmented across datasets and siloed models. Existing risk management systems remain largely reactive, underscoring the need for forward-looking, interoperable, and decision-ready climate intelligence.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Shaji, Chairman, NABARD stated that, “At a national level, we have indeed covered a vast distance in climate data collation and analysis. The challenge is that these datasets sit in isolated websites. The National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge is an effort to bring the best minds to come forward and help us develop a solution which brings all these data streams together in a seamless manner. The larger objective is to develop a tech solution which truly democratizes climate data in a way which has not been done till now. In that way this challenge is in complete sync with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of leveraging technology to build a more resilient rural India”

Objective

The Challenge seeks to mobilize India’s scientific and innovation ecosystem to contribute to the development of a National Climate Stack. Specifically, the Challenge seeks proposals that:

• Credible near-term (10–15 year) climate hazard forecasting frameworks that can serve as the foundational forecasting layer of the Climate Stack
• Practical use-case dashboards built on top of the hazard layer to demonstrate operational applications and system integration

Together, these efforts aim to move from climate data aggregation toward operational climate intelligence for agriculture, rural finance, and public planning.

Challenge Structure and Timelines

The Innovation Challenge will follow a structured, multi-stage process:

• Open Call (6th March 2026): A national call inviting proposals from research institutions, universities, startups, and private-sector innovators.
• Screening and Shortlisting (March–April 2026): Structured review of submissions to shortlist high-potential teams based on eligibility, problem understanding, and proposed methodology.
• Guided Model Development (April–May 2026): Shortlisted teams will participate in a 6–8 week development sprint to refine and document their climate hazard models, with expert inputs.
• Technical Validation and Jury Selection (May–June 2026):Independent technical assessment followed by jury-led selection of final awardees.

Submissions will be assessed on scientific rigor, explainability, practical relevance, interoperability, and scalability.

DiCRA and Governance

The Challenge is anchored in DiCRA, NABARD’s climate data platform. Through this initiative, NABARD seeks to strengthen DiCRA’s evolution from a digital public good into a digital public infrastructure capable of supporting interoperable, forecasting-enabled climate intelligence.

NABARD will serve as the anchor institution for the Challenge with The Gates Foundation and Dalberg Advisors acting as strategic partners.

Awards and Way Forward

The top three solutions will receive awards of ₹15 lakh, ₹10 lakh, and ₹5 lakh, respectively. Selected solutions may also be considered for post-Challenge pilots and adoption pathways through NABARD and partner programmes.