Innovation is a crucial way to leapfrog into the center stage of global business leadership. Based on this cornerstone, Marico instituted its CSR initiative in 2003 by forming the Marico Innovation Foundation. The Foundation provides a framework to Industry and Social Sector to leverage innovation for quantum growth. The Foundation plays the role of a catalyst and works towards creating an innovation eco-system through cutting edge research, knowledge creation & dissemination. Its recognition platform - Innovation for India Awards, biennially awards breakthrough innovations from India.

Major Projects - Popular research on “11 mission biographies -‘Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen: 11 Indians who pulled off the impossible” resulting in a best seller publication.

Guiding Social Innovations- Enabling social organizations to apply Innovation as a key tool to significantly increase their social impact and scale programs. Currently 2 organisations are supported on 18 month innovation incubation program.

Innovation Exchange Portal- One single platform bringing together the Innovation Ecosystem including researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and academia across industry along with the investors and the mentors. This is in association with IIM, Ahmadabad & the Department of Science and Technology, GOI.

Innovation for India Awards- To acknowledge & foster leadership with innovative focus in various Business & Social sectors. From 2010 a new category- - Public Governance has been introduced to recognize innovations where the Central or State government or any wing of the government including public-private partnership has innovated. The intent of the Awards is to reward projects and businesses that make a real difference to India and community at large. Based on the criteria of uniqueness, impact & scalability, ‘India’s Best Innovations’ are declared biennially. Since 2006, 32 innovators have been recognized which included organisations like Kirloskar Brothers, BOSCH MICO, Su-Kam, Titan, Azim Premji Foundation, Trichy Police, ITC IBD, Reliance KGD6, Tutor Vista, Goonj, PRS Legislative, Tata Chemicals and TERI, Gujarat Government’s Jyoti gram Yojana and Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR). Bharti Airtel & Tata Nano were recognized as Global Game Changers for their spirit of Innovation.