Context: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) launches Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) Program.

About ACIC Program:

Aim: The programme aims at spurring community Innovation in underserved and unserved areas of the country.

Significance: ACIC can serve as the bridge between the knowledge base existing in communities and the advanced technical ecosystem prevalent in the market base, addressing the needs of society.

Features of the program:

1. ACIC is a new initiative of Atal Innovation Mission to support community innovation drive in the country.
2. The program is directed to encourage the spirit of innovation through solution driven design thinking to serve the society.
3. It will focus on underserved/ unserved regions of the country which at present lack a vibrant start-up and innovation ecosystem. 
4. ACIC will be established either in PPP mode or with support of PSUs and other agencies.
5. The maximum grant-in-aid support form AIM will be up to 2.5 crores subject following compliance to ACIC guidelines and contributing matching form the host institutions and their funding partner(s). 

About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) including Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU) is Government of India’s endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Its objective is to serve as a platform for promotion of world-class Innovation Hubs, Grand Challenges, Start-up businesses and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology driven areas.

The Atal Innovation Mission shall have two core functions:

1. Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilization, wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs.
2. Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.

Impact:

1. The Mission has undertaken many bold and forward-looking initiatives such as Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and Atal Incubation Centres (AIC), which have received great traction;
2. Many Ministries/Departments of Government of India have initiated innovation related activities with the help and technical support of AIM.
3. Under the ATL program, more than 10,000 schools are expected to establish these labs by 2020.
4. More than 100 Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) are likely to established around the country, supporting at least 50-60 startups each over the first five years.
5. More than 100 innovators/startups are expected to receive some support for productizing their innovations.
6. Each incubator is expected to foster 50-60 technology driven innovative Startups every four years.
7. The potential for employment generation from these innovations driven Startups is quite high.