Atal Innovation Mission, IFCCI partner to scale up Atal Tinkering Labs across India

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has partnered with the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IFCCI) to scale up Atal Tinkering Labs across India, NITI Aayog said on Monday.

The Statement of Intent (SoI), signed during the third edition of IFCCI CSR Connect Day 2025, held at the Embassy of France in New Delhi, marks a significant milestone in promoting STEM education, digital literacy, and innovation-driven learning through strategic collaborations with IFCCI’s extensive Indo-French corporate network.

The partnership aims to mobilise CSR and corporate support to strengthen infrastructure, enhance curriculum delivery, and enable deeper industry-school engagement through ATL programmes.

"From a small village school in the northernmost part of India to the southernmost tip, and from the west to the east, innovation is thriving in every district of the country. It is not just about numbers or scale; the real story lies in the quality and diversity of innovative solutions our students are creating.

AIM has already impacted over 11 million student entrepreneurs and is noted amongst the world’s largest grassroots innovation programmes. The new partnership with IFCCI will further expand innovation-driven learning to many more students and young entrepreneurs across India,” said Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, AIM, NITI Aayog.

The joint initiative will identify and support selected government schools for ATL implementation and enhancement, provide teacher training, organise innovation challenges, and foster a sustainable ecosystem of learning and growth.

About 15 labs have already been set up with IFCCI CSR support.

Together, IFCCI, along with its member companies and implementing partners, will be scaling the initiative across the nation through their CSR interventions, enabling long-term, sustainable impact in schools and underserved communities.

The collaboration reaffirms the shared vision of IFCCI and AIM to build an inclusive, innovation-led future for India.

"The IFCCI CSR Connect Seminar at the Embassy of France has become a vital platform for strengthening Indo-French cooperation in social impact.

Looking ahead, 2026 will mark an important milestone, with the Prime Minister of India and the President of France declaring it the India-France Year of Innovation. This vision reaches beyond technology, embracing social progress as a key dimension of our bilateral relationship. In this context, I strongly encourage French and Indian businesses to view CSR as an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in sustainability and community impact," said Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India.

Representatives from IFCCI and AIM also emphasised the importance of nurturing a culture of innovation from a young age. The collaboration will focus on expanding access to technology-enabled education, promoting critical thinking and hands-on experimentation, and building capacity among teachers and students in government schools.

"This partnership is a step forward in empowering the youth of India with 21st-century skills. Through this alliance, we aim to bridge the gap between industry and education and make innovation accessible to every student, especially in underserved regions," said Payal S.

Kanwar, Director General, IFCCI.

--IANS

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