Context: The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) with an enhanced scope and a budget of Rs. 2750 crores until March 31, 2028.
Relevance of the topic: Prelims- Key provisions of Atal innovation Mission
About Atal Innovation Mission 2.0
- AIM 2.0 is an upgrade over the original mission AIM 1.0 to expand, strengthen, and deepen India’s vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
- Implementation: Centrally Sponsored scheme by NITI Aayog.
- Vision: To create a robust innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, boost India’s Global Innovation Index rank (currently 39) and enhance its startup ecosystem (third-largest in the world).
AIM 2.0 vs AIM 1.0
- AIM 1.0: Focused on building innovation infrastructure like Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and Atal Incubation Centers (AIC).
- AIM 2.0:
- Piloting new initiatives to fill gaps in the innovation ecosystem by involving central and state governments, industry, academia and community.
- Aims to:
- Increase input (i.e., ushering more innovators and entrepreneurs)
- Improving the success rate/ throughput (i.e., helping more startups succeed)
- Improving the quality of ‘output’ (i.e., producing better jobs, products and services)
Key initiatives under AIM 2.0
1. Increase Input:
- Language Inclusive Program of Innovation (LIPI):
- To build innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in India’s 22 scheduled languages
- Establish 30 Vernacular Innovation Centers
- Frontier Program:
- Customise innovation ecosystem templates for J&K, Ladakh, NE states, Aspirational Districts and Blocks, benefiting 15% of India’s population.
2. Improving Throughput:
- Human Capital Development Program
- Train 5500 professionals to build, operate and maintain innovation systems.
- Deeptech Reactor:
- Research sandbox for testing ways of commercializing research-based deep tech startups.
- State Innovation Mission (SIM):
- Assist states/UTs with building a strong innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that focuses on their areas of strength.
- International Innovation Collaborations program for interventions like:
- Annual Global Tinkering Olympiad
- Establish 10 bi-lateral, multilateral engagements with advanced nations
- Be a knowledge partner of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to spread models of AIM to global south
- Anchoring the Startup20 Engagement Group of the G20 for India.
3. Improving the quality of ‘output’:
- Industrial Accelerator program:
- Develop minimum 10 Industry Accelerators in critical sectors in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
- Atal Sectoral Innovation Launchpads (ASIL) program:
- Create minimum 10 iDEX-like platforms to integrate startups into key sectors of central ministries.
Atal Innovation Mission 1.0
- Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Objective: To create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.
- Launched: 2016.
- Implementing Agency: NITI Aayog
- Some of the components of AIM: Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centres, Atal New India Challenge, Mentor of Change Program, Atal Community Innovation Center and Atal Research & Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE).
- All the initiatives of AIM are currently monitored and managed systematically using real-time MIS systems and dynamic dashboards.