Onlykashmir.in News Desk
A high-impact Stakeholders Meet was successfully held today at SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar. The event was organized by the Northern Region S&T Cluster – PI-RAHI (PU-IIT Ropar Regional Accelerator for Holistic Innovations Foundation) in collaboration with J&K Science & Technology Council, SKUAST Kashmir, and IIT Jammu.
Minister for Science & Technology, IT, Youth Services & Sports, and ARI & Trainings, Satish Sharma, visited the SKUAST-K Innovation, Incubation, and Entrepreneurship Centre (SKIIE) and commended the exemplary efforts being undertaken under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai and his team, led by CEO Naveed Hamid.
During his visit to the SKIIE Centre at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), the Minister expressed admiration upon learning that the centre has secured 91 patents to date and has nurtured 84 in-house startup ventures spanning multiple business domains. He described the innovation landscape at SKUAST-K as “inspiring” and “a model for regional transformation through research-led entrepreneurship.”
A distinctive moment of the visit was the Minister’s welcome by CEO Naveed Hamid with a rose cutlet innovatively crafted from corn husk, a novel creation by four research scholars from the Division of Floriculture, mentored by Prof. Nasir and Prof. I.T. Nazki.
Later in the day, four startup products incubated at SKIIE were formally launched by the Hon’ble Minister during the Stakeholders Meet on Science, Technology, and Innovation Ecosystem in Kashmir, held at SKUAST-K Shalimar campus.
The meet brought together a constellation of policymakers, academic leaders, scientists, and innovators to deliberate on regional innovation opportunities. Dr. Shahid Choudhary, Scientific Secretary in the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honor.
In his keynote address, Sharma emphasized Jammu & Kashmir’s potential to emerge as a vibrant hub for science-led development and applauded PI-RAHI, SKUAST-K, and the collaborating institutions for fostering an innovation-driven culture.
The program commenced with a welcome note by Dr. Nasir Shah, Additional Director, J&K S&T Council. Insightful remarks were delivered by Ms. Neha Arora, CEO, PI-RAHI, and Dr. Jatinder Kaur Arora, Advisor, PI-RAHI, who outlined the vision of the regional innovation cluster.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai highlighted SKUAST-K’s pivotal role in translating research into practical solutions for the farming community and beyond. Secretary to Government, S&T Department, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, underscored the state’s policy commitment to promoting STI-led inclusive growth.
The event featured thematic roundtable discussions on technology integration in rural livelihoods, grassroots innovations, R&D scalability, and incubator network strengthening, moderated by Dr. Ambreen Hamadani, Assistant Professor, CAIML.
The meet concluded with actionable recommendations to synchronize STI progress with grassroots developmental needs and emphasized the importance of national linkages to scale local innovations. Prof. Rohitashaw Kumar, Associate Dean, COAET, delivered the vote of thanks.
