The Global Social Entrepreneurship and CSR Summit 2025 was held at SRM University-A.P through its Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. Prominent leaders, innovators, and change-makers convened for the day-long summit to discuss the transformative potential of social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in creating sustainable communities. SRM-AP’s Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship According to Sidharth Tripathy, the goal of this summit was to reframe the concept of social impact from “beneficiaries” to “innovators”, from “compliance” to “conscience-led corporate social responsibility”, and from “nice-to-do social projects” to “need-to-do systemic movements”.

Panel discussions covering important topics in the fields of inclusive development and social innovation were part of the event. Among these was “Beyond Giving – CSR as a Lever for Systemic Change”, whereby business executives examined how CSR may transcend conventional philanthropy and turn into a potent instrument for long-term societal influence and entrepreneurial transformation.

The third topic for the panel discussion was “Building Impact Ecosystems – Partnerships that Power Change Highlighting the Importance of Collaborations”, where leaders discussed how multi-stakeholder partnerships can accelerate systemic change and foster scalable solutions. The theme, “HEI as Impact Launchpads – Focusing on the Role of Higher Educational Institutions in Nurturing Entrepreneurship and Social Ventures”, saw some thought-provoking insights.

Participants in the fourth panel discussion, “Agents of Change: Empowering Youth for Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Youth-Driven Innovation and Inclusivity,” discussed how they have used activism and business endeavours to promote change.

Sidhartha Tripathi told the tale of Aditri, the premier CSR programme of SRM University-A.P., which aims to enable rural women to start their own businesses. “The Red Book of Inspiration”, about Aditri—Transforming Rural Women into Micro Entrepreneurs—was introduced by Manoj K. Arora, the vice chancellor of SRM University-A.P.

Outstanding contributions were acknowledged in the section on paper presentations. Sundhar Singh from SRM University-A.P. took second place with a prize of ₹15,000, Mahendra Kumar from Half-Brain Technologies took third place with a prize of ₹7,500, and Vaibhav from VIT-A.P. took first place with a cash prize of ₹20,000.