AIM invites applications for Community Innovator Fellowship

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog on Thursday announced the launch of applications for Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF).

Speaking at the launch, Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, AIM said that at the micro level, the startup revolution has reached the tier 2, and tier 3 cities of India and amped up the startup ecosystem in these regions.

Vaishnav added that solving local problems at scale ranging across issues like healthcare, education, agriculture, financial services is the key driving force for Atal Innovation Mission to empower the innovators solving local community problems at the grassroots.

“With the strategic locations Atal Community Innovation Centres are witnessing the grassroots innovators undergoing the transformation journey of pursuing the entrepreneurship as their full-fledged career options. With this launch of applications for fellowship we call upon the applicants to experience the journey of creating a change in the community,” he said.

CIF is an initiative of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog in collaboration with UNDP India to facilitate knowledge building and provide infrastructure support to aspiring community innovators essential for their entrepreneurship journey.

Currently, there are 22 community innovator fellows being incubated at the Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) program of AIM. “A Community Innovator Fellow is an individual with an entrepreneurial mind-set, with an idea to solve a community challenge through her/his enterprise,” said NITI Aayog in a press release.

This is a one-year-long intensive fellowship program wherein an aspiring community innovator can apply irrespective of their socio-economic background is aimed at creating a conducive environment where knowledge, mentorship, community immersion and inclusion can prosper through adequate infrastructure and funding.

“During the course of this fellowship, each fellow will be hosted at an Atal Community Innovation Centre and will acquire SDG awareness, entrepreneurial skills and life skills while working on her/his idea. AIM has been setting up Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACIC) across the country,” NITI Aayog added.