Mysuru: The National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysuru, in collaboration with Lenovo and Maker Bhavan Foundation (MBF), is launching ALPHA (Advanced Laboratory for Programming, Hardware and Analytics) Innovation and Tinkerers’ Lab — Karnataka’s first AI-focused lab built on the Tinkerers’ model.

Addressing a press meet at Pathrakarthara Bhavan in city this morning, NIE Principal Dr. Rohini Nagapadma said this is a first-of-its-kind initiative at NIE, marking Lenovo’s first CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) partnership with a higher education institution in India, and MBF’s first tie-up beyond IITs and BITS. It is also NIE’s first CSR backed lab.

Located at NIE’s North Campus, the ALPHA Innovation and Tinkerers’ Lab will provide 24×7 access and features High-Performance Computing systems, advanced prototyping tools and resources to empower over 4,500 students in AI, ML, IoT, HPC and Digital Fabrication. It promotes hands-on, interdisciplinary learning and innovation.

Through MBF’s LEAP (Learn Engineering by Activity with Products) programme and Lenovo’s Professor of Practice (PoP) model, the lab will integrate industry problems into the curriculum, helping students across departments build real-world solutions that combine hardware, software and data.

The lab is supported under Lenovo’s CSR by Lenovo Global Technology India Pvt. Ltd. and Motorola Mobility India Pvt. Ltd., with mentorship and curriculum support from Lenovo’s India R&D teams, she said.

The Innovation Lab will be inaugurated by Prof. Timothy A. Gonsalves, Professor Emeritus & Founding Director, IIT Mandi, on May  21 at 9.30 am at NIE, North Campus while Tinkerers’ Lab will be inaugurated by Shailendra Katyal, Vice-President & Managing Director,  Lenovo India.

V. Balaji, Assistant Professor and Project Head – ALPHA and S.R. Gaikwad, Public Relations Executive (PRE), NIE, were present at the press meet.