About Pelsung
The Innovate for GMC Challenge is a flagship innovation program under the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC). His Majesty the King officially launched it as Pelsung on October 7, 2025, emphasizing its role as the third pillar of nation-building. It brings together Bhutan’s brightest young minds to lead transformative solutions in governance, technology, wellbeing, and sustainability for GMC.
Background & Rationale
"Everything we are doing today is for our youth – so that they will be better versions of us, better prepared, smarter, and more hard-working. It falls on us to build that future, and on them to protect it and take it to greater heights. That is the reason Pelsung has been created. I invite larger and larger numbers — the brightest and strongest amongst us — to join. We begin with 300–400 Pelsups, but expect to have thousands in the coming years. While today we bring in experts to help build the GMC, it is imperative that Bhutanese are able to take over the responsibility and become its custodians.
My father entrusted the responsibility of Kingship to me when I was only 26, with enormous confidence and even greater expectations. I would like to learn from past precedent, and His Majesty's immense wisdom, and recognize the potential of our youth. We certainly value experience, age, and education. But we must also rely on our youth to take the nation forward. My father took a leap of faith in me, and I have always endeavoured to not disappoint him, my people, and above all, our choechang sungma."
- His Majesty's Address at the Official Launch of Pelsung & the Third Zhabtog in GMC, 7th October, 2025
Program Objectives
Cultivate a culture of civic innovation led by youth
Develop context-sensitive solutions for GMC systems
Empower youth with practical leadership skills
Grow Bhutanese youth into custodians and co-architects of GMC
Program Structure
Youth integration Training Program
Short training program building companionship, community, and team spirit for the innovation journey ahead.
Innovation Units
Youth work in small, diverse teams to conceptualise, develop and experiment their idea, tackling real-world challenges.
Key Sessions on GMC
Talks by GMCA workstream leads providing insights into GMC's goals, planning, and thematic areas to align solutions with development priorities.
Mentorship
Guidance from experts in government, industry, and academia.
Final Outputs
Prototypes, policy memos, and presentations at program closing
Funding & Support
Selected ideas may receive funding and support to prototype and test solutions.
Workshops
Teams can reach out to experts to schedule capacity-building workshops
Field Visits
Youth will travel on guided excursions across GMC, and field visits tailored to support the development and testing of their ideas.
Recognition & Follow-Through
Certificates & recommendation letters
Every participant receives formal recognition of their contributions and performance.
Pilot funding for top solutions
Selected teams receive seed funding to take their prototypes or policies into pilot phase.
Alumni pathways through Innovate for GMC Fellowships & internships
Join the Movement
Take the first step towards shaping Bhutan’s mindful future. Apply today and help transform GMC into a hub of civic innovation, culture, and sustainability.