Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India)

What Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India) does

EPIC India is the India office of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), a non-profit university research institute established to conduct evidence-based research on energy access, pollution, climate, and human health in India. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Delhi with ~24 employees, the organization operates as a research-to-policy interface, running field experiments, randomized controlled trials, satellite-based remote sensing analysis, and high-frequency microdata studies at national, state, and local scales. It partners directly with Indian government bodies — including state pollution control boards (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan), state governments (Delhi, Odisha), and the Indian Parliament through its Legislators Program — to translate research into adopted regulation such as Gujarat's environmental audit reforms and India's first industrial five-star emissions rating system in Maharashtra. Core outputs include the AQLI-affiliated Air Quality Life Index, the India Climate Prospectus (climate projections across 2,300 locations), the High Pollution Early Warning System for Delhi, the Emissions Market Accelerator, and a Research to Policy Talk Series launched in 2021.

The institute is funded entirely through research grants and philanthropic support from organizations including the International Growth Centre, the U.S. National Science Foundation, USAID, and private foundations, and is structurally embedded in a multi-university ecosystem that includes the University of Chicago, the Tata Centre for Development, the Becker Friedman Institute, J-PAL South Asia, EPoD at Harvard, and Climate Parliament. Its go-to-market motion is event- and evidence-driven: research is generated in collaboration with government partners, validated through RCTs and econometric analysis, and then disseminated through academic publications (Quarterly Journal of Economics, Economic and Political Weekly, India Policy Forum), policy briefs, media (Forbes, Indian Express, NDTV, Times of India), and digital channels (YouTube, social, newsletter). There is no commercial pricing model; outputs are policy recommendations, government-adopted reforms, and public goods such as pollution exposure data covering 660 million people in India.

Quantifiable outcomes to date include a 28% pollution reduction in Gujarat via audit reform, a 10–18% reduction in particulate concentrations during Delhi's odd-even pilot evaluations, and the demonstration that meeting Indian air quality standards would add an average 3.2 years of life expectancy (2.1 billion total life-years) across affected populations.

Name

Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India)

Legal name

Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago

Website

https://epic.uchicago.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPIC India is the University of Chicago's India-based non-profit research institute, conducting field experiments, RCTs, and satellite-based analysis on energy access, air pollution, and climate policy, in partnership with Indian state pollution control boards, state governments, and the Indian Parliament.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAJAB

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Due Diligence

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Consulting

SECONDARYEUAHAAAC

EIA/ESIA Documentation & Technical Studies (Air/Water/Noise/Traffic)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Permitting

SECONDARYEUAHAAAH

Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Permitting

SECONDARYEUAHAEAN

Compliance History & Enforcement/Permit File Reviews (Agency Record Searches)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Risk Assessment & Due Diligence (Phase I/II ESA)

Keywords

• Energy policy research
• Environmental policy analysis
• Field experiment research
• Air quality research
• Climate policy evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Philanthropic Funding: EPIC India operates as a university research institute funded through research grants, international development organizations, and philanthropic support. The organization receives funding from entities including the International Growth Centre, National Science Foundation, USAID, and private foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

EPIC India conducts evidence-based research on energy and environmental policy in India through field experiments, randomized controlled trials, and rigorous data analysis. It partners with Indian government bodies, pollution control boards, and legislators to design, evaluate, and implement evidence-based policies on energy access, air quality, climate change, and environmental governance. The institute operates programs such as the Legislators Program, Research to Policy Talk Series, and EPIC India Dialogues, and produces research projects including the India Climate Prospectus and the Air Quality Life Index.

Product overview

EPIC India is a research institute at the University of Chicago that conducts evidence-based research on energy and environmental policy in India. Rather than a unified software product, it offers a portfolio of research programs, policy engagement platforms, and research projects. Core offerings include the Legislators Program (capacity building for Indian lawmakers), the Research to Policy Talk Series (knowledge dissemination platform), and EPIC India Dialogues. Research areas span Energy Access, Pollution/Climate & Human Health, and Data & Capacity Building. The institute conducts field experiments throughout India at national, state, and local scales, leveraging government and industry partnerships. Notable research projects include the Emissions Market Accelerator, the India Climate Prospectus, and the High Pollution Early Warning System.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legislators Program A capacity-building and knowledge-exchange program that brings Indian lawmakers together with University of Chicago researchers to address India's energy and environmental challenges through structured engagements.
• Research to Policy Talk Series A talk series platform that brings researchers and practitioners together to discuss and decode research and its application to India's energy and environmental challenges; moderated by environmental journalist Bahar Dutt.
• EPIC India Dialogues A policy dialogue platform facilitating structured discussions on India's energy and environmental challenges among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
• Energy Access Research Research work with government and industry partners to expand reliable access to energy in India through cutting-edge market approaches and incentives.
• Pollution, Climate & Human Health Research Research across public and private sectors to develop innovative, low-cost approaches to improve India's air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Data & Capacity Building Initiatives providing new datasets and building institutional capacity to confront India's energy and environment challenges.
• Emissions Market Accelerator (EMA) A research initiative focused on accelerating the development of emissions markets in India and globally.
• India Climate Prospectus A tool providing climate change impact projections across 2,300 locations within India to guide policymakers on resource allocation for climate adaptation.
• High Pollution Early Warning System (HPEWS) A project transforming driving behaviors for congestion and pollution management in Delhi through early warning systems.
• Optimising Waste Management and Reducing Methane Emissions in Hyderabad A project examining waste management practices and methane emission reduction strategies in Hyderabad.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% pollution reduction in Gujarat through environmental audit reforms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Tata Centre for Development at UChicago (TCD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2018Joint hosting of the Legislators Program 2018, facilitating capacity-building in monitoring and evaluating air and water pollution, development economics, and health sciences. TCD is a key partner in energy and development research at the University of Chicago.
• Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2018Co-host of the Legislators Program 2018 alongside EPIC and TCD, bringing together economists and policymakers for knowledge exchange on energy and environmental challenges.
• Development Innovation Lab (DIL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2018Meeting with DIL experts during the 2018 Legislators Program at the University of Chicago for knowledge exchange on development and environmental policy.
• Climate ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2017MoU partnership with Climate Parliament to facilitate knowledge exchange between Indian legislators and University of Chicago researchers. The collaboration works towards building capacity of Indian MPs for confronting energy and environmental challenges, including hosting delegations and conducting joint workshops.
• Maharashtra Pollution Control BoardflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2017Partnership to launch India's first five-star rating system for industries, making data from approximately 20,000 industrial stack samples available to the public. EPIC India researchers will measure the program's impact on emissions.
• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South AsiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2017Research partner for the Maharashtra Star Rating Program, providing expertise in rigorous impact evaluation of environmental policies.
• Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) at Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2017Research partnership with EPIC India and J-PAL for evaluating the Maharashtra Star Rating Program and other environmental policy interventions in India.
• Odisha GovernmentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2016Preliminary partnership discussions for collaboration in pollution control and energy efficiency, with expert presentations on monitoring and improving energy efficiency.
• University of Chicago Urban LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2015Partnership with Delhi Dialogue Commission to launch the Urban Labs Innovation Challenge: Delhi, offering up to 20 million rupees in grant funding to pilot and test innovative solutions for air and water quality in Delhi.
• Delhi Dialogue CommissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2015First-of-its-kind partnership with Delhi government to improve air and water quality, featuring the Urban Labs Innovation Challenge: Delhi and ongoing policy collaboration.
• Gujarat Pollution Control BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2015Collaboration on environmental auditing system reforms through randomized controlled trials. The pilot study showed auditors were 80% less likely to submit false pollution readings, and reforms led to 28% pollution reduction before official adoption by Gujarat government.
• Air Quality Life Index (AQLI)coreOthersAffiliated program that provides particulate pollution data and life expectancy analysis for India and globally, developed by economists at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
• Emissions Markets AssociationminorOthersAffiliate organization listed on EPIC India's website as part of their broader network in energy and environmental policy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World Resources Institute (WRI) India: WRI India conducts applied research on climate, energy, cities, and air quality in India, frequently collaborating with Indian state governments. It overlaps with EPIC India's pollution, climate, and human-health research portfolio.
• J-PAL South Asia (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab): J-PAL South Asia runs randomized controlled trials on poverty, health, and environmental policy in India and is an explicit research partner of EPIC India on the Maharashtra Star Rating program. Both organizations share the same evidence-based RCT methodology applied to public-policy evaluation in India.
• Centre for Policy Research (CPR), India: CPR is a prominent Indian policy think tank producing research on governance, environment, and regulation. It targets many of the same central and state-level policymakers and donors as EPIC India, competing for influence over Indian energy and environmental policy debates.
• Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW): CEEW is a leading India-based policy think tank that produces research on energy access, air quality, and climate policy. It competes directly with EPIC India for government mindshare and grant funding on Indian environmental and energy policy research.
• Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD), Harvard Kennedy School: EPoD applies rigorous impact evaluation to development and environmental policy in developing countries and partners directly with EPIC India and J-PAL on the Maharashtra Star Rating Program. Both organizations run field experiments for governments and occupy the same academic evidence-to-policy niche.

Emerging players

• Climate Parliament: Climate Parliament is a network that engages legislators globally on climate policy and is an EPIC India partner (since 2017) on the Indian Legislators Program. Both organizations straddle research and legislative capacity-building for climate action.
• Climate Impact Lab: Climate Impact Lab is a University of Chicago-affiliated research consortium that produces economic damage functions from climate change and is referenced as part of EPIC's broader network. Both organizations generate economy-wide climate impact projections used by policymakers.

Broad incumbents

• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): IISD is an international policy research organization working on sustainable development including energy, climate, and environmental governance. Its broader global portfolio overlaps with EPIC India's energy access and emissions markets work.
• Resources for the Future (RFF): RFF is a long-standing U.S. energy and environmental economics research institute that informs U.S. and global energy policy. It shares EPIC India's academic economist-driven model and focus on rigorous analysis of energy and environmental regulation.

Others

• International Growth Centre (IGC): IGC funds and conducts evidence-based growth and development research in developing countries, including India, and is listed as a funder of EPIC India. Both operate as evidence-to-policy intermediaries leveraging academic researchers to advise governments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EPIC_India
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCz-PtdD6pJSITzGt7q9gN8A
• Facebookfacebook.com/UChicagoEPICIndia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epic-india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India)