Greenovation Green Steel Challenge by EarthON Foundation

The Greenovation Green Steel Challenge is a national innovation challenge organized by the EarthON Foundation. Its purpose is to identify, support, and pilot high-impact solutions that can reduce carbon emissions from the Indian steel industry. The program focuses on innovations and proof-of-concepts ready to be tested in actual industrial environments, helping innovators advance from pilot to scale with reduced risk.

Aligned with India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change and long-term decarbonisation goals, this challenge addresses the urgent environmental impact of steel production—a major source of global CO₂ emissions. Participants gain access to live industrial testbeds across Eastern India, allowing them to validate their solutions under real-world operating conditions.

Beyond financial support, the challenge offers structured mentorship, capacity building, and ecosystem access to help innovators refine, deploy, and scale their solutions. It also supports India’s early adoption of green steel standards, boosting global competitiveness and ESG readiness.

• Grant funding of up to ₹25 lakh for green steel innovations.
• Access to live industrial testbeds in Eastern India for real-world validation.
• Structured mentorship and capacity building from EarthON Foundation.
• Designed for innovations at prototype, pilot-tested, or market-ready stages.
• All applications close on 22nd February 2026.
• Open to individuals, startups, R&D institutions, and technology providers.

The challenge is open to a wide range of innovators: passionate individuals, startups, technology providers, R&D institutions, and individual researchers. Solutions must be applicable to the Indian steel industry context and should be at the prototype, pilot-tested, or market-ready stage. A proven track record in clean technology or decarbonisation-related work is preferred. Solutions should be scalable, including applicability for MSME steel producers, and must demonstrate readiness for industrial implementation in live steel plant environments.

For R&D institutions and researchers: They must offer research-backed decarbonisation or green steel solutions and be willing and ready for technology transfer to industry. Prior experience in or openness to industry collaboration is also expected.

Greenovation Green Steel Challenge by EarthON Foundation is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

The most recent application window for Greenovation Green Steel Challenge by EarthON Foundation closed on 15 Mar 2026. Many programmes run repeat cohorts, so it is worth checking the official site for the next round.

Selected innovators receive:

• Up to ₹25 lakh in grant funding to support their solution development and pilot implementation.
• Access to live industrial testbeds in Eastern India to validate their technology under real-world conditions.
• Hands-on mentorship and capacity building from industry experts.
• Opportunities to connect with ecosystem partners, potential customers, and investors.
• Guidance to align with India’s emerging green steel standards, enhancing ESG compliance and global market readiness.

The program helps de-risk the transition from pilot to scale while positioning participants as leaders in the green steel movement.

Greenovation Green Steel Challenge by EarthON Foundation is offered by EarthON Foundation, a non-profit foundation. It is delivered directly by EarthON Foundation as a grant. You can verify current details and timelines on the provider's official website before applying.

Applications are processed in a phased evaluation:

• Registration Phase: Submit an online registration before the deadline.
• Internal Evaluation (9th–11th March 2026): The EarthON Foundation reviews all registrations and shortlists candidates based on alignment with the challenge criteria.
• Detailed Application Phase (12th–25th March 2026): Shortlisted innovators are invited to submit a comprehensive application detailing their solution, technology readiness, and potential impact.
• Jury Evaluation (28th March–5th April 2026): A jury assesses the detailed applications and selects winners based on innovation, feasibility, scalability, and alignment with steel industry decarbonisation goals.
• Final Selection & Pilot Support: Winners are announced and receive funding, mentorship, and access to industrial testbeds for implementation.

Before you apply to Greenovation Green Steel Challenge by EarthON Foundation, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

Greenovation Green Steel Challenge by EarthON Foundation is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹25L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.