PELSUNG
PELSUNGINNOVATIONLAB
ABOUT THE LAB
NOT AN INCUBATOR. A PROBLEM-DRIVEN PLATFORM.
The Pelsung Innovation Lab is the strategic core of Pelsung's long-term institutional model. It is not a co-working space or a generic incubator. It is a problem-driven platform that identifies high-value national challenges and converts them into implementable solutions. Its purpose is simple: to ensure that Pelsung does not only train capable young people, but also gives them a place to apply that capability to real work that matters to Bhutan's future.
As Pelsung evolves, its work is becoming more differentiated. One part of the institution must execute programmes, manage partnerships, and run the organisational backbone. Another part must think ahead: identify problems, design interventions, develop prototypes, and shape Pelsung's long-term innovation thesis. The Innovation Lab exists to play that second role. In the institutional framework, it functions as the 'brain' of Pelsung, while the Secretariat functions as the 'house' that executes and sustains delivery. The Lab will serve three core functions.
CORE FUNCTIONS
THE LAB WILL SERVE THREE CORE FUNCTIONS
NATIONAL PROBLEM-SOLVING PLATFORM
The Lab works with government agencies, GMC institutions, the private sector, civil society and other strategic actors to identify real bottlenecks and high-value opportunities. It focuses on bounded, practical problems that can be properly framed and solved through disciplined work.
Venture Studio for Solutions
Selected Pelsups and collaborators work in teams to build responses to these challenges. A response may be a governance tool, an operational system, a policy product, a non-profit initiative or a commercial solution, depending on the nature of the problem. The Lab is vehicle-agnostic: it is not trying to produce startups for their own sake, but solutions that fit the problem.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE HUB FOR BHUTAN
The Lab builds structured knowledge about Bhutan's economy, enterprises, institutional constraints, and business case studies. It documents ventures that succeeded, stalled, and failed, so that Bhutanese youth and institutions can learn from real experience rather than theory. Over time this becomes a national knowledge base that informs both programme design and venture development. .
Expected Outputs
New businesses, social enterprises, digital platforms, governance tools, policy briefs, research and intelligence products, service models for GMC and national institutions, community enterprise models, investment-ready venture concepts, and skilled talent pipelines
Innovation Lab Projects
Current Projects in the Lab
Teacher Management Information System (TMIS)
An artificial intelligence enabled teacher workforce planning system for the Ministry of Education and Skills Development. It brings scattered teacher data together and adds forecasting, so that the Ministry can see retirements, attrition and staffing gaps in advance and plan the annual Teachers Recruitment Exercise ahead of time rather than in response. Team: Rangjung Dorji, Kinley Wangyel, Sonam Jigme Chophel, Jamyang Singye, Deki Pelden
Bay Tshub Bay Gay (BTBG)
A research-driven initiative that addresses labour-market gaps in Bhutan's private sector. It connects young people with employers through a short skills hire engine and an apprenticeship pathway, and protects workers through managed pay and certification. Team: Deki Pelden, Phuntsho Yeshey Wangchuk, Jamyang Singye, Tshering Choden, Anosh Gurung
Wildland Forest Fire Retardant
A low-cost, locally formulated fire retardant developed as an alternative to expensive commercial products. Bench-scale formulation and burn testing are under way, and early trials have confirmed the basic approach ahead of scale-up. Team: Rangjung Dorji
The New Principles of Bhutanese Food (NPBF)
A national framework and ten signature Bhutanese cuisine concepts that reconnect agriculture with cuisine. The work preserves culinary heritage, encourages innovation rooted in tradition and creates opportunities for farmers and food entrepreneurs. Team: Silash Dhital, Yeshey Dem, Pema Uden, Manoj Pradhan, Tshering Choden, Jamyang Singye
Food Assessment
A comprehensive study of Bhutan's food landscape — production systems, value chains, market readiness and consumer trends. It provides the evidence base for the New Principles of Bhutanese Food and for future work in the food sector. Team: Pema Uden, Silash Dhital, Yeshey Dem, Kencho Wangmo, Manoj Pradhan, Sonam Jigme Chophel
Special Investment Vehicle (SIV)
A blended-finance framework designed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. It channels returnable investment into proven Bhutanese agribusinesses so that they can grow, add more value to raw produce and pass returns back to farmers. Team: Kinley Wangyel, Kencho Wangmo, Yeshey Choden, Tulshi Ram Acharya
Sour Sip — "Sip the Sour Side of Bhutan"
Bhutan's first food brand built entirely around authentic sour flavours — tamarillo, sea buckthorn, passion fruit, wild citrus, kiwi and berries. It supports local farmers and creates export-ready speciality products. Team: Yeshey Dem
Smart Park
A digital parking management application for Bhutan, replacing paper-based systems. It uses one-time-password authenticated bank payments, automates bay availability and billing, and integrates with major Bhutanese banks. The core architecture and payment gateway are complete; nationwide deployment is next. Team: Sonam Jigme Chophel, Manoj Pradhan
Dynamic Textbook QR
A single QR code on a textbook cover links to a centralised resolver, so digital content can be updated continuously without reprinting the book. Students always reach the latest chapters and revisions. Team: Kinley Wangyel, Sonam Jigme Chophel
THE BIGGER PICTURE
FROM YOUTH PROGRAMME TO NATIONAL CAPABILITY ENGINE
The Lab will be staffed primarily through high-potential Pelsups drawn from the immersion programme and subsequent pathways. The model does not treat youth as passive beneficiaries of innovation programming. It treats them as builders. The Lab therefore becomes both a platform for solving national problems and a proving ground where capable young Bhutanese can develop through real responsibility. In practical terms, the Innovation Lab is how Pelsung moves from being a youth programme to becoming a national capability engine. It gives the institution a place to think, a place to build, and a place to convert talent into systems, tools, and ventures that serve Bhutan's long-term transformation.
BUILD BHUTAN'S FUTURE WITH US
The Innovation Lab is open to high-potential Pelsups, institutional partners, and strategic collaborators.