India’s school education landscape is undergoing a major transformation. Under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the rote-learning model is being rapidly replaced with curiosity-driven, experiential learning — and at the centre of this shift are Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), powered by the government’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
Key Highlights
Over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) established in schools up to October 2025.
More than 1.1 crore students currently engaged in hands-on innovation activities.
16 lakh+ innovation projects developed by students through ATLs.
Plan to establish 50,000 additional ATLs during 2025–2026.
NEP 2020: Reimagining Learning Through Creativity
The NEP 2020 rejects rote memorisation as the primary mode of learning and shifts focus to critical thinking, creativity, scientific temperament, collaboration and ethical values.
A new 5+3+3+4 structure ensures play-based learning at foundational stages, art-integrated and experiential learning in middle grades, and flexibility in subject choice at the secondary level. Every textbook, classroom activity, and exam now seeks to measure application rather than memory.
Digital inclusion has strengthened this shift — platforms such as PM e-Vidya, DIKSHA, and virtual labs have reached more than 25 crore students. The Union Budget 2025-26 further reinforced this momentum with an allocation of ₹1,28,650 crore for education, including ₹78,572 crore for school education.
Atal Innovation Mission: Building India’s Innovation Pipeline
Launched by NITI Aayog in 2016, the Atal Innovation Mission has become one of India’s most influential initiatives in fostering a nationwide culture of innovation. Its interventions span schools, colleges, universities, startups, and underserved regions.
Major AIM Programs
Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) – Creative maker spaces in schools.
Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) – World-class incubators nurturing startups.
Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs) – Innovation support for underserved and rural areas.
Mentors of Change – A national network of over 6,200 mentors guiding students and innovators.
All AIM initiatives are tracked in real time through an advanced MIS dashboard, ensuring smooth implementation and impact monitoring.
Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs): India’s Innovation Playgrounds
ATLs are dedicated maker spaces inside schools equipped with DIY electronics kits, 3D printers, robotics tools, sensors, and mechanical instruments. These labs help students learn:
Design thinking
Computational thinking
Adaptive learning
Physical computing
Problem solving
The aim: “To create one million young innovators in India.”
Students learn through projects, hackathons, ATL Marathons, and the Tinkerpreneurship program. Many have created solutions for healthcare, agriculture, sustainability, and environment, leading to patents, awards, and even startups.
By November 2025:
10,000+ ATLs have been set up
Spread across 35 states and 722 districts
1.1 crore students actively participate
The next phase — setting up 50,000 labs in government schools — aims to build a widespread grassroots innovation culture by 2030.
On 12 August 2025, AIM created a world record with the largest one-day student tinkering activity, securing entries in the India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records.
Atal Incubation Centres (AICs): Strengthening the Startup Ecosystem
AIM has established 72 world-class incubation centres supporting:
Infrastructure and lab access
Seed funding
Mentorship
Industry and investor networks
Impact so far:
3,500+ startups incubated
32,000+ jobs created
1,000+ women-led startups supported
Innovations across sectors like health tech, fintech, edtech, drones, food processing, AR/VR, and tourism
Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs): Bridging India’s Innovation Divide
ACICs bring innovation resources to tier-2/3 cities, tribal belts, rural areas, hilly regions, and aspirational districts.
With a unique co-funding model (₹2.5 crore from AIM plus partner contribution), 14 ACICs are already operational, democratizing access to innovation for underserved populations.
Atal New India Challenges (ANIC): Innovation for National Priorities
ANIC supports technology-based solutions for national challenges across key sectors.
Selected startups receive:
Up to ₹1 crore funding
12–18 months of deep mentoring
Commercialisation support
Phase 1: 53 startups supported
Phase 2: 88 startups selected
Mentors of Change: India’s Largest Volunteer Mentor Network
Over 6,200 mentors from industry, academia, NGOs, and research institutions guide school innovators and entrepreneurs across AIM programs — enabling a seamless innovation ecosystem from school to startup.
School Innovation Council (SIC): Strengthening Innovation at School Level
Launched in 2022, SIC is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, AICTE, and CBSE.
Each school sets up a dedicated council that conducts:
Leadership talks
Panel discussions with innovators
Field visits for problem identification
Workshops on problem-solving
Prototype demonstrations
Business model development
Schools earn star ratings based on innovation performance tracked through the official SIC portal.
School Innovation Ambassador Training Program (SIATP)
This program trains teachers in:
Ideation
Design thinking
Innovation management
Entrepreneurship support
It ensures sustainability by building teacher capacity at the grassroots.
A Seamless Innovation Pipeline — From Schools to Startups
AIM ensures that innovation is not a one-time school activity but a continuous pipeline:
ATL → AIC → ANIC/ACIC → Industry & Research Collaboration → Market/Impact
Innovations created at school flow into colleges and startups; innovations from universities loop back to schools through mentors and collaborative projects.
This interconnected system ensures that curiosity sparked in a classroom can evolve into a real-world solution — shaping India’s future innovators, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers.
