Startup-relevant scheme · Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog
Atal Innovation Mission – Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL)
AIM's notice (Oct 2026): 'the application portal for ATL, AIC and ACIC are not currently open.' ~10,000 ATLs set up; Budget 2025 targets 50,000 more ATLs in government schools over 5 years.
- Amount
- Grant-in-aid of ₹20 lakh
- Type of support
- Grant
- Best for
- Ideation
- Who can apply
- Incubators & institutions, Students
Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) are being established in schools across India as a workspace where students can learn innovation skills.
Who can apply?
- Schools in India (having at least Grade/Class VI to X) managed by State/Union Territory/Central Government, Local body (Municipality/Nagar Nigam), Private Trusts/Society or Tribal/Social welfare Department can apply for financial support in the form of ATL Grant-in-Aid
What do you get?
- An ATL school is eligible for grant-in-aid of ₹20 lakh, with ₹10 lakh for capital expense and remaining ₹10 lakh for operational and maintenance expenses over a period of five years
How to apply
Interested schools intending to apply for ATLs may visit the AIM website and submit their application online to the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. https://aim.gov.in/
Objectives
Atal Innovation Mission is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India. The objective is to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc. ATL is a workspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills. Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
Key links
- All details with respect to ATL aim.gov.in
- ATL Guidebook aim.gov.in
Deadlines, amounts and windows change. Check the official portal before you apply.
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- PRISMGrants for individual innovators, startups and MSMEs to build prototypes and commercialise ideas — up to ₹50 lakh in project support.Active
- BIGGrant-in-aid of up to ₹50 lakh over 18 months for biotech startups and entrepreneurs to turn scientific ideas into products.Active