The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a division of NITI Aayog, has recently announced a Call for Applications for its two key initiatives: Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) and Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC). The move is aimed at expanding the current ecosystem of incubators and providing them with access to global benchmarks and best practices.
The Purpose of the Call for Applications
The main objective of this call for applications is to foster the creation and support of innovative ecosystems within India by setting up world-class institutions. These institutions are expected to assist budding entrepreneurs in the country. The AICs and ACICs established under these programs will play an essential role in enriching India’s start-up and entrepreneurship landscape, furthering the mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat, or self-reliant India.
Understanding the Atal Incubation Centre
The Atal Incubation Centre is an initiative designed to stimulate innovation and instill an entrepreneurial spirit, while simultaneously creating a supportive network for start-ups and entrepreneurs in India. Each AIC is financially aided with a grant of up to 10 crores INR dispersed over five years. Since its inception in 2016, AIM has set up 68 Atal Incubation Centres across 18 states and 3 Union Territories, supporting more than 2700 startups.
Unveiling the Atal Community Innovation Centre
The Atal Community Innovation Centre aims to cater to the unserved or underserved regions of the country in terms of start-up and innovation infrastructure. Each ACIC receives financial support in the form of a grant up to 2.5 crores INR over five years. So far, AIM has established 14 Atal Community Innovation Centres nationwide.
Digging Deeper into the Atal Innovation Mission
As the flagship initiative of the Government of India, AIM’s primary drive is to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship within the country. Its mission is to introduce new programs and policies that would foster innovation across various economic sectors, provide a platform for collaboration opportunities among different stakeholders, spread awareness about innovation, and oversee the country’s innovation ecosystem.
Key Initiatives Undertaken by AIM
AIM has launched several initiatives to realize its goals. These include Atal Tinkering Labs, which aims at nurturing problem-solving mindsets among school students across India. The Atal New India Challenges initiative focuses on fostering product innovations and aligning them with various sector or ministry requirements.
Another significant endeavour is the Mentor India Campaign. It is a national mentor network in collaboration with the public sector, corporate bodies, and institutions to support all of AIM’s initiatives. Additionally, AIM has launched the Atal Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE) initiative to stimulate innovation and research within the MSME industry.
Last Modified: February 18, 2024