Convener News Desk
Kathua, Jan 08: The BioNEST Bioincubation Centre of CSIR–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, located at the Industrial Biotech Park (IBTP) in Ghatti, Kathua, on Thursday organised an awareness programme titled Innovative X 1.0 under the Mission YUVA initiative, drawing students, farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs from across the region.
The programme was inaugurated by Shahzad Alam, Managing Director, Mission YUVA and Director, Employment and Skill Development Department, J&K, who lauded CSIR-IIIM for building a supportive ecosystem for innovation and startups.
Explaining the contours of Mission YUVA, he outlined opportunities available under Nano Enterprises, MSMEs and Neo-Innovative Enterprises, with a special focus on knowledge-driven startups. He encouraged young participants to identify local challenges and leverage government platforms for funding and mentorship, urging them to apply under the Neo-Innovative Enterprises scheme through the Mission YUVA portal.
In a message, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu and Chairman, IIIM Technology Business Incubator (IIIM-TBI), said the institute remains committed to fostering innovation-led entrepreneurship by integrating scientific research with enterprise creation.
He said initiatives such as Innovative X 1.0 are crucial for empowering youth, startups and farmers by providing access to advanced infrastructure, mentorship and industry linkages, particularly in agriculture, biotechnology and healthcare.
Earlier, welcoming the participants, Dr Saurabh Saran provided an overview of the Industrial Biotech Park at Ghatti, highlighting its strategic location, advanced facilities and six functional areas, including fermentation technology, phytopharma development and micropropagation. He said IIIM-TBI has so far supported over 125 startups, with 15 already launching market-ready products, underscoring the park’s role in converting ideas into viable enterprises.
Dr Nasir-ul-Rasheed, Principal Scientist at CSIR-IIIM, spoke about skill development initiatives, detailing hands-on training programmes ranging from short-term courses to six-month modules in quality control, advanced instrumentation and fermentation technologies. He also shared success stories to motivate students, emphasising the potential of youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
Participants were also briefed on Mission YUVA by Gauri Deoli, who explained its vision of transforming J&K into a vibrant entrepreneurial hub built around the pillars of culture, capital, capacity and connectivity. She highlighted the Neo-Innovative Enterprises scheme, which offers seed funding of up to ₹20 lakh along with mentorship and market linkages.
The event featured startup pitching experiences by entrepreneurs including Vikrant Dogra of Unati Foundation, Shivanku of Herbal Aura, Sandeep Razdan of Sarnas OPC Pvt Ltd and Dr Swamy of Crop-Domain Pvt Ltd. An MoU was signed between Crop-Domain Pvt Ltd and IIIM-TBI to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in agricultural biotechnology.
The programme concluded with the felicitation of startups, students and ecosystem partners, followed by a vote of thanks.
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