Atlas Axillia and Nalanda College launch Tinkering Lab to Nurture Sri Lanka’s Next Generation of Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Atlas Axillia and Nalanda College have opened a Tinkering Lab at the school’s Innovation Center in Colombo, providing facilities for students to develop practical science, technology and entrepreneurial skills.

The initiative is supported by technical expertise from India’s Atal Innovation Mission under NITI Aayog, with facilitation by the Indian High Commission, according to the partners.

Located in the Nalanda College Centenary Building, the lab combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning with arts, robotics, artificial intelligence and design thinking.

The partners said the Innovation Center was designed to support students from developing an idea through to building a prototype and presenting a finished concept.

Its facilities include a do-it-yourself innovation lab, fabrication equipment for 3D printing and digital manufacturing, and spaces for augmented and virtual reality, arts and agricultural technology.

Training areas, shared workspaces, a boardroom and a pitch suite are intended to support communication, teamwork, project management and entrepreneurship.

Hemas Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Ashish Chandra said the initiative extended Atlas Axillia’s involvement in school learning by giving pupils opportunities to experiment and turn ideas into prototypes.

He said the objective was to develop curiosity, creativity, resilience and practical problem-solving.

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha said the collaboration would bring technical expertise, specialised curricula and training support from the Atal Innovation Mission to young Sri Lankans.

He described it as cooperation in education, science and innovation between the two countries.

Former Sri Lankan cricketer and Nalanda alumnus Mahela Jayawardene, representing the college’s centenary committee, said students needed adaptability, teamwork and confidence to respond to technological change.

Atlas Axillia, a subsidiary of Hemas Holdings, said the collaboration was intended to connect classroom concepts with practical application.

The partners also envisaged opportunities for students to engage with industry professionals and the startup community through the centre’s learning activities.