As stated under Atma Nirbhar Initiatives, one of the main goals of I-STEM is the development – over time – of indigenous capability to design, develop, and build R&D tools in the country, together with the complementary capacity for maintaining and rebuilding of sophisticated R&D tools (usually imported) to begin with. One way to accomplish this, proposed herein, is through the regional representatives at various colleges and institutions by I-STEM, where outdated equipment (written off by Custodian Institutions, as the I-STEM portal helps them maintain an up-to-date inventory) would be used to train youngsters to open up, strip, repair, and/or retrieve useful spare parts.

Such an initiative provides training to, say, 3-year diploma holders and graduates of the ITIs, who will then become employable, furthering Atma Nirbhar. In particular, the initiative can generate an indigenous cadre for maintaining complex apparatus/equipment, reducing maintenance costs as well as ensuring prompt servicing so that tools downtime is kept to a minimum.

The training can also be provided by academic institutions, such as the many engineering colleges in the country, through periodic Technical Training Workshops advertised through the I-STEM portal. They may also be offered by polytechnic institutes and ITIs, as well as by the many NTTFs across the country. It is proposed to encourage the involvement of industry, especially MSMEs and start-ups, in this effort, as they benefit from availability of technically trained personnel Conduct Training Program.