Driving STEM, Innovation, and Health Impact in India through Women’s Leadership
Program Duration: April 2026 – March 2027
Format: Hybrid (virtual and in-person sessions)
Cohort Size: 30 women leaders
Cost: None (all programme costs, including travel and lodging, are covered)
Time Commitment: Approximately four to eight hours each month along with two in-person residencies.
Deadline: 4:00pm IST on 23 January, 2026
Women’s Leadership in STEM Entrepreneurship, launched collaboratively by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), an enterprise under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, Grand Challenges India, and WomenLift Health, is a part-time leadership development programme designed to strengthen the power and influence of mid- to senior-career women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields across India.
This fully funded, 12-month programme provides talented mid- to senior-career women entrepreneurs and innovators in STEM and public health with the safe space to explore their authentic leadership through vulnerability and reflection, an inclusive and diverse network which fosters a strong sense of belonging, tools and strategies for enhancing their voice, presence, and influence—all the while being supported by a powerful group of peers, mentors, and coaches. The programme imparts contextualized tools and frameworks to address the individual, organizational, and societal challenges that women leaders in STEM and public health in India face today. It is tailored for women professionals and crafted for participants to be fully present and engaged while recognizing the importance of work-life harmony.
Participants engage in two in-person experiential learning residencies (Immersion and Lift-Off), in addition to virtual learning touchpoints, virtual group mentoring, virtual one-on-one coaching sessions, and importantly, a self-directed STEM and Public Health Leadership Project—all the while being supported by their women leader community and experts.
Global Fellows—those who successfully complete the programme—will be part of a lifelong network of allies at local, regional, and global levels who continue to support each other and new cohort members and advocate for women’s leadership.
