Telangana Launches ATL Sarathi and Mentor India Academy to Strengthen School Innovation Ecosystem

India’s NITI Aayog has launched the ATL Sarathi initiative and the Mentor India Academy in Telangana to strengthen innovation at the school level. The programme will support 379 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) across the state with structured mentoring, institutional partnerships, and educator training. According to an official government announcement, the initiative aims to help students transform ideas into practical solutions while strengthening Telangana’s role in India’s grassroots innovation ecosystem.

Expanding Structured Support for School Innovation

The launch aligns with the Prime Minister’s broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, which emphasises building innovation capacity from an early age. The ATL Sarathi framework focuses on deepening the impact of existing Atal Tinkering Labs by strengthening ongoing engagement rather than simply expanding their reach.

Under the model, ATLs are organised into regional clusters and connected with leading local institutions. These institutions provide mentorship, teacher training, and pathways to incubation and start-up support. This approach is designed to help students move beyond experimentation and towards real-world problem solving and entrepreneurship.

Nodal Institution to Coordinate Regional Collaboration

In Telangana, the 379 ATLs will be grouped into clusters led by a designated nodal institution. Vardhaman College of Engineering has been selected for this role and will support ATL schools by providing technical expertise, innovation guidance, and links to the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The clustering model is intended to create stronger institutional partnerships between schools, higher education institutions, and industry stakeholders. By linking these actors, the programme seeks to create a more continuous pipeline of innovation talent from school education through to start-up development. Similar efforts to strengthen the country’s innovation capacity are reflected in broader initiatives aimed at building a future-ready and inclusive start-up ecosystem across India.

Building Skills in Emerging Technologies

The ATL Sarathi and Mentor India Academy initiatives are designed to provide students with hands-on exposure to emerging technologies and structured approaches to problem-solving. By strengthening teacher capabilities and providing institutional backing, the programme aims to make innovation a sustained and evolving activity within schools rather than a one-off project.

“एटीएल सारथी और मेंटर इंडिया एकेडमी की पहल, युवा शिक्षार्थियों और उत्कृष्ट संस्थानों के बीच सार्थक जुड़ाव बनाकर हमारे स्कूलों में नवाचार की नींव को मजबूत करेगी। यह विद्यार्थियों को रचनात्मक रूप से सोचने, वास्तविक दुनिया की समस्याओं को हल करने और राष्ट्र-निर्माण में योगदान देने के लिए सशक्त बनाएगी। ऐसी पहलें एक ऐसी पीढ़ी को गढ़ने में महत्वपूर्ण हैं जो आत्मविश्वास से भरी, सक्षम और भविष्य की जरूरतों के अनुरूप तैयार हो और एआईएम इसे साकार कर रहा है।” — Shiv Pratap Shukla, Governor of Telangana

Officials emphasised that strengthening early innovation skills is essential for developing a future workforce capable of addressing complex societal and technological challenges. India’s growing emphasis on advanced research areas, including initiatives expanding quantum research and education across academia, reflects the government’s broader effort to build long-term scientific and technological capability.

Supporting a National Innovation Mission

According to Atal Innovation Mission Mission Director Deepak Bagla, the initiative aims to cultivate a culture in which innovation begins early and is continuously nurtured. By connecting schools with mentors, institutions, and the wider innovation ecosystem, the programme seeks to help students translate ideas into practical outcomes with measurable impact.

“माननीय प्रधानमंत्री के ‘विकसित भारत’ के विजन से प्रेरित एटीएल सारथी और मेंटर इंडिया एकेडमी ऐसे महत्वपूर्ण कदम हैं जो हमने एक ऐसी संस्कृति बनाने की दिशा में उठाए हैं, जहां नवाचार की शुरुआत कम आयु में ही हो जाती है और उसे लगातार निखारा जाता है। हमारा मुख्य उद्देश्य हर युवा अन्वेषक को केवल विचार के बारे में सोचने से आगे बढ़कर, उसे असल में कार्यरूप देकर उसका प्रभाव दिखाने में सक्षम बनाना है।” — Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission

India currently hosts more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs nationwide, forming one of the world’s largest school-level innovation networks. By leveraging regional institutional partnerships and collaboration between government, academia, and industry, the ATL Sarathi and Mentor India Academy initiatives aim to strengthen innovation outcomes, develop regional innovation hubs, and nurture the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs.

These efforts also complement broader national strategies focused on scaling deep-tech innovation for global competitiveness, highlighting the importance of early-stage talent development in sustaining India’s long-term economic and technological growth.