On Wednesday, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), government think-tank Niti Aayog and SAP Labs India, said they have strengthened collaborations in India to encourage digital literacy, innovation and entrepreneurship. In the next three years, business software solution major SAP will perform Training of Trainers (ToT) for about 500 teachers as part of the partnership.

The Atal Innovation Mission is the Union government's flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. SAP aims to adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Laboratories and impart digital education to 30,000 students from the states of North-East, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

"Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), education and digital skills among school children will enable inclusive and equitable growth in the society," said Sindhu Gangadharan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, SAP Labs India.

"With the adoption of 100 ATL's in the next three years, SAP will equip young talent with advanced digital skills, experiential STEM education, and expertise to drive socio-economically relevant innovation at a young age. We aim to strengthen and catalyze the incubator and startup ecosystem significantly."

SAP and Atal Innovation believe in empowering coaching and mentoring students in advanced technology subjects such as electronics, mechatronics, Internet of Things, digital skills and coding through this collaboration, enabling them to gain practical experience.

The partnership also aims to augment incubation centers, enhance the capacity development, provide acceleration support to the youth entrepreneurs, provide mentoring support to startups, ideas or incubation, and facilitate pilots with the youth-led startups.

SAP said it will create a platform for the existing 68 Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) across India. Since its partnership in 2018, SAP has already adopted 49 Atal Tinkering Laboratories to promote STEM education to around 9,700 secondary school children across India.