ServDes India Symposium 2026

Designing Service Futures Together

ServDes India Symposium 2026 will take place on 24 October 2026 at FLAME University, Pune (Venue: VKS-003). As an initiative of the ServDes India Chapter, the symposium brings together researchers, practitioners, educators, industry leaders, and students to explore emerging perspectives, research, and practices shaping the future of service design.

Sponsored by TCS Research in collaboration with FLAME University, and organized by the Design Research Lab, TCS Research, the symposium serves as a platform for meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration across academia, industry, and the public sector. The event aims to strengthen India’s growing service design community while fostering new partnerships, ideas, and opportunities for innovation.

Register Now

https://forms.gle/PnJF6xFyWQ1HZyFh7

24 October 2026 | 9:00 AM onwards | FLAME University, Pune

Competition Objective

Witness the live jury round of the Student Service Design Competition 2026, where finalist teams present innovative service concepts addressing real-world challenges. The competition showcases creativity, systems thinking, and the next generation of service design talent.

The competition aims to leverage students’ creativity and service design skills to address real-world challenges faced by India’s social sector. Solutions must be innovative, actionable, and culturally sensitive, motivating NGOs to implement them effectively.

Evaluation Process

Submissions will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance: How well the solution addresses the problem statement and fits India’s social
  context.
• Methodology: Application of service design tools and processes.
• Innovation: Creativity and uniqueness of the solution.
• Feasibility: Practicality and scalability of implementation by NGOs.
• Presentation: Clarity, structure, and visual quality of the submission.

Competition Process

1. Preliminary Round: Top submissions will be shortlisted based on the evaluation criteria.
2. Relevance: How well the solution addresses the problem statement and fits India’s social context.
3. Methodology: Application of service design tools and processes.
4. Innovation: Creativity and uniqueness of the solution.
5. Feasibility: Practicality and scalability of implementation by NGOs.
6. Presentation: Clarity, structure, and visual quality of the submission.

Prizes and Recognition

• Winners: Cash prizes, trophy and certificates of recognition will be awarded.
• Showcase Opportunities: Winning projects will be featured at the ServDes India Chapter website.
• Implementation Support: Selected solutions may receive support for implementation by partnering NGOs.

Rules and Ethics

1. All submissions must be original and adopted for this competition.
2. Intellectual property rights remain with the teams, but organizers and NGOs reserve the right to use ideas for implementation.
3. Cultural sensitivity and respect for local values are mandatory.Submissions will be evaluated based on:
   • Relevance: How well the solution addresses the problem statement and fits India’s social
     context.
   • Methodology: Application of service design tools and processes.
   • Innovation: Creativity and uniqueness of the solution.
   • Feasibility: Practicality and scalability of implementation by NGOs.
   • Presentation: Clarity, structure, and visual quality of the submission.

   Prizes and Recognition

   • Winners: Cash prizes, trophy and certificates of recognition will be awarded.
   • Showcase Opportunities: Winning projects will be featured at the ServDes India Chapter website.
   • Implementation Support: Selected solutions may receive support for implementation by partnering NGOs.

   Rules and Ethics

   1. All submissions must be original and adopted for this competition.
   2. Intellectual property rights remain with the teams, but organizers and NGOs reserve the right to use ideas for implementation.
   3. Cultural sensitivity and respect for local values are mandatory.

The symposium will also host a Student Poster Presentation Competition and Exhibition, providing an opportunity for researchers, practitioners, and students to share ongoing research, case studies, design explorations, and innovative service design initiatives.

Best Posters will be awarded based on the popularity.

The Service Design and Innovation Conference (ServDes) is the premier global forum for advancing rigorous research, innovation, and practice in service design. The ServDes India Chapter is an experimental initiative launched at ServDes25 in India, aiming to leverage India’s diverse socio-economic landscape and growing design ecosystem to foster knowledge and practice that are research-driven, future-proof, and impactful. This pilot chapter aspires to be a scalable model replicable in other regions, enabled by the extensive global ServDes researcher network.

Its vision is to Position India as a leading hub for service design research, education, and innovation, bridging global insights with local relevance that inspires positive impact and systemic change.