Capacity Development
Building the capacities of India’s changemakers to foster innovation and urban transformation at scale.
About
IIHS Capacity Development is dedicated to building the capacities of practitioners and institutions to address complex challenges across cities, towns and villages.
The Programme works with government, public agencies, development organisations, the private sector, academia, and civil society across urban and rural India. By equipping practitioners with interdisciplinary skills, strategic perspectives, and new frameworks of knowledge, it supports institutional strengthening and innovation at scale.
Grounded in the belief that the transformation of human settlements depends on institutional capacity as much as financial resources, the Programme delivers customised capacity development engagements led by IIHS practitioners, researchers, and visiting faculty with first-hand experience in the Indian context.
Capacity development services
Offers support across capacity assessment, programme design and delivery, stakeholder engagement, and impact assessment.
Customised programmes
Develops individual, institutional, and ecosystem-level capacity through customised training grounded in research and real-world practice.
Integrated learning design
Combines knowledge, skills, and perspectives with practical, application-oriented pedagogies to build resilience and reflexivity.
Areas of Expertise
Effective capacity development requires more than training delivery alone. This process connects stakeholder engagement, capacity assessment, programme design, implementation, and evaluation to ensure that interventions remain relevant, responsive, and informed by evidence.
Engagements
Building the capacities of institutions responsible for India’s urban transformation
Building capacity in the Central Government
We work with the Government of India to design specialised capacity development initiatives for IAS officers and officials of other Central services, equipping them with practical skills in governance, infrastructure, climate action, and digital urban management to address urban challenges in a rapidly urbanising context.
- Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA)
Trained 1,500+ IAS officers through in-campus, off-site, and international immersion programmes that address wide-ranging and critical aspects of the urban, such as governance, finance, management, urban infrastructure and service delivery. - Department of Personnel and Training
Trained 1,500+ IAS officers through in-campus, off-site, and international immersion Trained 100+ mid-career officials in capacity development programmes for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), covering essential urban themes, such as urban transformation, blue-green infrastructure for climate action and digital governance in urban infrastructure. - Indian Army
Held workshops and seminars for the Indian Army, and has trained 250+ military personnel across various Commands, with a focus on creating sustainable cantonments and the efficient management of military stations.
Enabling national missions
We support India’s urban transformation through capacity-building initiatives for municipal officials across key national missions, with 9,000+ participants trained to strengthen governance and sustainable urban development.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
Part of the empanelment for the Integrated Capacity Building Programme (ICBP), IIHS has trained 9,000+ municipal functionaries and elected representatives from across India - Ministry of Jal Shakti
Empanelled as a Key Resource Centre to offer capacity development for the National Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), reaching 1,200+ senior- and middle-level officers through multiple training programmes supporting safe and sustainable drinking water delivery to households across India - Support to National Missions
Supports key national missions including the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban (PMAY-U), National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), and National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY).
Open enrolment programmes
We offer capacity development courses focused on practical skills and applied insights in the context of Indian cities, taught by IIHS faculty and experienced academic and professional advisors.
For customised versions of these courses or other courses for your organisation, please get in touch with us at cdf.cd@iihs.ac.in.
Building capacity development systems
We work with institutional and development partners to design and deliver large-scale capacity development initiatives, alongside IIHS’ practice work.
This work includes collaborative diagnostics, training needs assessments, curriculum and programme design, training-of-trainers models, and the development of learning systems and tools that strengthen institutional capacity and translate research into practice.
Explore our courses
Catalysing Urban Systems Change
Health Systems in Urban India
Capacity Development Suite
Research Methods Suite
Partners
- Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India
- Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA)
- Indian Army
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India
- Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Government of India
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India
- Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO)
- Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL)
- Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)
- City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO)
- Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
- Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY)
- Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
- National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM)
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
- Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)
- Smart Cities Mission (SCM)
- Asian Development Bank (ADB)
- Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF)
- Gates Foundation
- George Washington University (GWU)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- World Bank
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis (AIGGPA)
- Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI)–Finance Research Group (FRG)
- Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute (MATI)
- National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)
- State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Tamil Nadu (SIRDPR, Tamil Nadu)
- State Institute for Urban Development, Karnataka (SIUD, Karnataka)
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
- Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA)
events
Capacity Development Forum
The Capacity Development Forum brings together diverse stakeholders involved in capacity development to consolidate national and global learning, assess current practice, and explore emerging directions in the field.
The Forum aims to build a ‘community of practice’ that advances collaboration, strengthens knowledge systems through research and action research, and develops a shared repository of knowledge on capacity development.
Explore Assets
People
Explore the team working in the Capacity Development Programme.
Projects
Browse all projects associated with the Capacity Development Programme.
Publications
Access all the publications by the Capacity Development Programme.
Programme Office
For any inquiries or further information, please reach out to upp@iihs.ac.in.