AIM and Meta join hands to establish frontier technology labs in schools

NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Meta on Wednesday announced their collaboration to set up Frontier Technology Labs (FTLs) in schools of strategic importance with an aim to democratize future technologies.

According to an official statement, FTL is an advanced version of Atal Tinkering Lab equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, including all components of the Tinkering Lab to empower students to innovate using technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented & Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Robotics, 3D Printing, and Internet of Things.

AIM Director Chintan Vaishnav said these labs will serve as hubs for innovation, providing students with the necessary tools to explore and contribute to the cutting-edge fields that will shape the future.

FTLs are a part of Meta's Education to Entrepreneurship initiative, launched in September 2023, to seamlessly connect students, youth, workforce, and micro-entrepreneurs with futuristic technologies, taking digital skilling to the grassroots.

Till date, AIM has established 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) in schools across 722 districts in India.

The objective of ATLs is to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, physical computing etc.