SAP SE to adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs in 2018

German tech company SAP SE today signed a pact with NITI Aayog's innovation unit under which the company will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) this year to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in schools.

SAP SE will select among secondary schools from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the company said in a statement.

The collaboration will allow SAP SE to further ignite innovation in India's large student population by providing right guidance, knowledge, and infrastructure, said Bernd Leukert, SAP SE Executive Board member, Products & Innovation.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said India's growth for the next few decades will depend on the innovation coming out of these tinkering labs under Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

Mission's director Ramanathan Ramanan said so far AIM has selected 2,441 schools across the country to establish ATLs, out of which 1,100 tinkering labs are operating.

By this year, at least 2,000 tinkering labs will be functioning, he said.

ATLs are play workspaces with state-of-the-art technologies like 3D printers, robotics, sensor technology kits, Internet of things (IoT), miniaturised electronics to stimulate innovation among students of class 6-12th.

SAP SE has a strong presence in the Indian market. India is the second largest R&D facility for SAP with about 8,000 employees, according to the company statement.