Dharmendra Pradhan Inaugurates India’s First Overseas Atal Innovation Centre at IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi Campus.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, during his two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (September 10–11, 2025), inaugurated India’s first overseas Atal Innovation Centre at the IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus. The initiative aims to strengthen India-UAE collaboration in education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

      - The inauguration ceremony also witnessed the launch of two academic programmes: a Ph.D. in Energy and Sustainability and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering, which mark the beginning of IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi’s academic expansion.

      - During his campus visit, Minister Pradhan interacted with students and faculty, highlighting the importance of innovation-driven academic programmes and lauding the collaborative efforts that made this project possible.

      - The Minister met Ms. Sara Musallam, Chairperson of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), to discuss strengthening Indian curriculum-based schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and setting up Atal Innovation Labs for Indian schools on the model of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).

Main Point :-   (i) Key areas of collaboration included opening additional Indian curriculum schools to support the large Indian diaspora, promoting student exchanges at multiple levels, introducing teacher exchange initiatives, mutual recognition of qualifications, and aligning UAE education initiatives with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 priorities.

      (ii) The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), under which the centre has been established, is a flagship programme of NITI Aayog to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and research through initiatives like Atal Incubation Centres and Atal Tinkering Labs, now expanding its global footprint.

(iii) Minister Pradhan’s visit also included participation in the first anniversary celebration of Symbiosis University’s Dubai campus, showcasing the increasing presence of Indian higher education institutions in the UAE and reflecting education as a cornerstone of India-UAE relations.