The MakerSpace Conclave 2024, a groundbreaking event and the first of its kind in India, brought together over 12 premier centrally funded Indian institutes to IIT Bombay to exchange ideas and share learnings on fostering hands-on engineering skills with students. With an urgent need for creative, locally designed solutions, this conclave marked a significant milestone in transforming the landscape of engineering education in India.

Recognized as an ‘Institute of Eminence,’ IIT Bombay has been at the forefront of this movement, successfully integrating a Makerspace course into its undergraduate curriculum over the past two years. The conclave reflected on this journey, showcasing IIT Bombay’s structured approach to Makerspaces, benefiting 1,400 students annually. Other institutes such as IIT Indore, IIT Delhi, and NITK Surathkal also shared their experiences with voluntary efforts in creating solutions to local problems through their Makerspaces.

Despite the heavy focus on competitive exams, the conclave underscored the importance of handson learning through maker spaces, which provide students with the opportunity to innovate and create. While some students have benefited from early exposure to Atal Tinkering Labs, the MakerSpace Conclave 2024 addressed the pressing need for integrating practical skills into the mainstream education system to meet India’s growing demand for innovative solutions tailored to its unique challenges.

Experts from NITI Aayog, including Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, AIM, and Dr. R. Ramanan, former Mission Director, AIM, shared their extensive experience in establishing over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs and Atal Innovation Missions nationwide.

Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, AIM

Dr. Vaishnav articulated three critical challenges for the future including sustaining the conclave initiative, creating a national platform for connecting maker spaces, and articulating a vision document for making India a “Product Nation.”

The conclave featured insightful talks on the setup and evolution of IIT Bombay’s Makerspaces, lessons learned, and future plans. Faculty discussions on the first-year course were followed by lab visits, and attendees were treated to demonstrations of student projects developed within the Makerspace.

Key plans for the future include setting up a National Makerspace Society to unify Makerspaces and ensure the movement’s healthy growth. Additionally, the conclave aimed to bridge gaps between institutes by sharing facilities, content, and experiences, focusing on local problem statements, and establishing efficient mentoring programs to scale the model nationwide.

Several institutes, including IIT Bombay, have committed to taking direct steps to achieve these ambitious goals. IIT Bombay, IIT Indore, IIT Dharwad, IIT Tirupathi, and the Atal Innovation Mission are already spearheading the establishment of a society of academic Makerspaces. These efforts will culminate in increased participation across higher education institutes in India, evolving a standardized Makerspace curriculum aligned with NEP 2020. IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Tirupathi, NIT Jamshedpur, NIT Surathkal, and NIT Arunachal Pradesh have also volunteered to create a vision statement for a self-sustainable, stakeholder-driven policy document on the impact of maker spaces on the Make in India and Skill India programs. IIT Indore will host the next conclave in July 2025.

The MakerSpace Conclave 2024 has set the stage for a new era in engineering education, where innovation, collaboration, and practical skills are at the forefront. IIT Bombay, with its pioneering spirit and commitment to excellence, has been instrumental in leading this transformative movement. With a unified vision and a commitment to fostering creativity and problem-solving, India’s premier institutes are not just shaping the future—they are building it, one ingenious solution at a time. As we look to the future, the spirit of this conclave, driven by IIT Bombay’s leadership, will resonate, inspiring generations of engineers to think beyond the conventional to create and to lead.