Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, in collaboration with Dell Technologies has launched Student Entrepreneurship Programme 2.0 (SEP 2.0) for young innovators of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs).
Student Entrepreneurship Program
SEP 2.0 will allow student innovators to work closely with Dell volunteers. They will receive mentor support; prototyping and testing support; end-user feedback; intellectual property registration and patenting of ideas, processes, and products; manufacturing support; as well as the launch support of the product in the market. Dell is leveraging emerging technologies to empower students to craft their own experiences, thereby enabling them to develop an innovative mindset.
Atal Innovation Mission aims to create over a million neoteric innovators and potential job creators of the country. The partnership with Dell Technologies in spurring the entrepreneurial capabilities of the budding Atal Tinkering Lab innovators through the Student Entrepreneurship Programme encourages young aspiring school students, as well as creates a value-adding recognition platform for innovative talent across the country.
SEP 1.0 began in January 2019. Through a 10-month-long rigorous programme, the top 6 teams of ATL Marathon, a nationwide contest where students identify community challenges and create grassroots innovations and solutions within their ATLs, got a chance to transform their innovative prototypes into fully functioning products, which are now available in the market.
As many as 1500 innovations were submitted in the last season of ATL Marathon. After two rigorous rounds, 50 teams were selected for the Student Innovator Programme. More than 75% of the winning teams were from tier-2 cities and/or rural areas, and more than 60% from government schools. Around 46% of the winning team students were girls. The teams were then mentored by Atal Incubation Centres for months via the Student Innovator Programme 2.0. The top 8 will now take their prototypes to product through SEP 2.0.
