Mentor India Academy Takes Root in Gujarat, Deepening India’s Grassroots Innovation Story

India’s startup journey often makes headlines for billion-dollar valuations and global expansions. But the real foundation of this ecosystem is being quietly built much earlier — inside classrooms, tinkering labs and campuses where curiosity is first encouraged and ideas are allowed to fail, improve and grow. Strengthening this foundation, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog has launched the Mentor India Academy (MIA) in Gujarat, marking an important shift in how young innovators are nurtured at the grassroots.

The Mentor India Academy has been launched at the Vadodara Institute of Engineering (VIE), Kotambi, with a clear and focused mission: to move beyond one-off workshops and bring structured, long-term mentoring into schools that are part of the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) network. At its heart, the initiative aims to shape not just students, but also teachers, into confident drivers of innovation.

A new mentoring model for school innovation=

Under the MIA framework, all 28 Atal Tinkering Lab schools in Vadodara have been clustered with Vadodara Institute of Engineering as the partner Higher Education Institution (HEI). This hub-and-spoke model ensures that schools receive continuous academic and technical support, rather than sporadic external inputs.

The focus areas include design thinking, robotics, project-based learning and real-world problem solving — skills that are increasingly seen as essential for tomorrow’s workforce. By anchoring mentoring within an engineering institute, the programme creates a stable ecosystem where expertise, infrastructure and guidance are consistently available.

Officials associated with the initiative say the academy is designed to benefit both sides of the classroom. Students gain hands-on exposure to solving real-life challenges, while teachers are upskilled to become innovation facilitators, enabling them to guide young minds with confidence and creativity. Over time, this approach is expected to build a steady pipeline of students who combine technical ability with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Aligned with AIM’s long-term vision

The launch of Mentor India Academy in Gujarat is closely aligned with the broader vision of the Atal Innovation Mission, the Government of India’s flagship programme launched in 2016 to embed innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.

AIM follows a holistic, systems-driven approach — starting at the school level and extending through higher education, research institutions, MSMEs and the private sector. To ensure impact and accountability, all AIM initiatives are monitored through real-time management information systems (MIS), dynamic dashboards and periodic third-party evaluations.

At the school level, this vision has taken tangible shape through the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) programme. ATLs are dedicated innovation spaces for students from Classes 6 to 12, equipped with cutting-edge tools such as 3D printers, robotics kits, Internet of Things modules, rapid prototyping equipment and DIY electronics. These labs are designed to spark curiosity, encourage experimentation and build problem-solving capabilities — not just among students, but within the larger school community.

Today, 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs are operational across India, forming one of the largest school-level innovation networks in the world. The Mentor India Academy now adds a critical missing layer to this network: consistent, high-quality mentoring.

From tinkering to startups: building the full pipeline

AIM’s work does not stop at schools. Complementing the ATL network is a growing ecosystem of Atal Incubation Centres (AICs), which support innovators as they transition from ideas to scalable businesses. These incubators, housed in universities, institutions and corporate settings, provide startups with mentorship, infrastructure, market access and funding support.

Currently, 72 Atal Incubation Centres are operational across the country. Together, they are incubating more than 3,500 startups and have already contributed to the creation of over 32,000 jobs. Significantly, over 1,000 of these startups are led by women founders, highlighting the inclusive nature of the ecosystem being built.

The startups supported through AICs span a wide range of future-facing sectors — including HealthTech, FinTech, EdTech, Space and Drone Technology, AR/VR, food processing and tourism — reflecting India’s expanding innovation ambitions.

Strengthening the continuum of innovation

With the Mentor India Academy in Gujarat, AIM is reinforcing a crucial continuum — from early tinkering in schools to startup creation and scale-up. By bringing schools and higher education institutions into deeper collaboration, the initiative aims to ensure that innovation is not an isolated activity, but a sustained journey supported by capability building and mentorship at every stage.

The MIA launch is being seen as more than just another programme rollout. It represents the beginning of a grassroots innovation movement, rooted in local ecosystems but aligned with national goals. As these mentoring models mature and expand to other regions, they could play a defining role in preparing India’s youth to emerge as the innovation leaders of tomorrow — long before their startup ideas make headlines.