Diplomat Correspondent
Jammu: The Indian Institute of Management Jammu inaugurated Innovation Day 2025 with great enthusiasm on 16 December 2025 at the Mandapam Auditorium, IIM Jammu, reaffirming its commitment to nurturing innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaborative problem-solving across the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.The inaugural ceremony was graced by the Chief Guest, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary (IAS), Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, and Guest of Honor, Shri Shahzad Alam (IAS), Mission Director, YUVA, Government of Jammu & Kashmir. Prof. B. S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, presided over the inaugural ceremony.The inaugural ceremony was also graced by Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean, Faculty and Research, IIM Jammu; Dr. Muqbil Burhan, Chairperson, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Skill Development (CEISD); and Dr. Vivek Sharma, Chief Innovation Officer, IIM Jammu.
The ceremony commenced with a ceremonial welcome of dignitaries and the lighting of the lamp, followed by the launch of the Entrepreneurship Newsletter ThinkIn, Volume II, which showcases emerging ideas, startup journeys, and innovation-led initiatives supported by IIM Jammu.An engaging audio-visual presentation was showcased during the inaugural session, highlighting the transformative journey undertaken by IIM Jammu through CEISD in strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem. The presentation captured the Institute’s extensive engagement with 30 graduation colleges, capacity building of their Institute Innovation Councils (IICs), and the conduct of Innovation Bootcamps aimed at nurturing young innovators. These initiatives have played a significant role in orienting students towards technology-driven problem-solving, design thinking, and entrepreneurship, reinforcing IIM Jammu’s role as a key enabler of grassroots innovation and the startup ecosystem in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
Chief Guest Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, IAS, Secretary to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Department of Science and Technology, commended Prof. B. S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, and the IIM Jammu team for building a world-class institution in a remarkably short span, marked by rapid, structured institutional development and academic excellence. Drawing from his own journey since his student days, he underscored the role of experience, rejection, and failure in shaping personal and professional growth, emphasizing that learning is often forged through challenges. He lauded IIM Jammu’s incubation pipeline as a forward-looking model that nurtures ideas from conception to execution and stressed the need for problem-specific innovation rooted in real societal and developmental challenges. He highlighted the Government of Jammu and Kashmir’s readiness to support innovation, encouraging students and innovators to actively leverage existing schemes and institutional mechanisms. He also emphasized ethics, responsible use of resources, and societal accountability, concluding that failure should be seen not as a setback but as a steppingstone in the journey of innovation and leadership.
The Guest of Honor, Shri Shahzad Alam, IAS, Mission Director, YUVA, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, presented a structured overview of the YUVA Scheme, highlighting its focus on promoting neo-innovative enterprises by providing young entrepreneurs with guidance, mentorship, and resources to transform ideas into viable ventures. He emphasized that the scheme aims to motivate youth to embrace entrepreneurship and emerge as job creators by equipping them with skills, networks, and confidence. He elaborated on key components of the scheme, including training programmes, mentorship, funding support, and incubation facilities, ensuring end-to-end assistance across the entrepreneurial journey. He also detailed the application process and encouraged students and innovators to actively engage with the scheme and leverage government support mechanisms to scale their ideas. Concluding his address, he underscored the need for innovation-driven solutions to real societal and developmental challenges, urging participants to pursue entrepreneurship with creativity, responsibility, and purpose.
Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, highlighted the special significance of Innovation Day 2025, noting that innovation fuels momentum and energy, enabling the creation of impactful and meaningful outcomes. He expressed gratitude to the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for supporting the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Skill Development at IIM Jammu, and invited participants to explore the campus. Reflecting on the institute’s journey over the past ten years, he encouraged participants to learn extensively and consider whether they aspire to be job seekers or job creators. He also spoke about Mission YUVA, a flagship initiative jointly developed by IIM Jammu and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing that the YUVA Scheme is set to become a milestone and a role model for fostering youth entrepreneurship and innovation across other states.
Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean Faculty and Research, IIM Jammu, highlighted the institute’s close collaboration with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, noting that the conceptualization and early development of Mission YUVA took place at IIM Jammu. He emphasized that the initiative aims to cultivate the right entrepreneurial mindset, particularly for those aspiring to scale their ideas rapidly. He underlined that Mission YUVA seeks to bring innovators onto a common platform, identify individuals with entrepreneurial aspirations, and foster strong collaboration among stakeholders, thereby accelerating the region’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Dr. Muqbil Burhan, Chairperson, CEISD, IIM Jammu, in his welcome address, emphasized the importance of strong stakeholder synergy to support entrepreneurs, from nano enterprises to startups, with incubation centres providing structured, integrated support across the entrepreneurial journey. The inaugural ceremony set the stage for a day-long series of panel discussions and interactive sessions aimed at cultivating Jammu & Kashmir’s innovation landscape, strengthening stakeholder networks, and showcasing regional startup success stories. The event concluded with the National Anthem and a vote of thanks by Dr. Muqbil Burhan.
The Innovation Day featured a panel discussion on Stakeholder Association for a Strong Innovation Ecosystem, bringing together leaders from industry and enterprise. The panel comprised Mr. Abhishek Jain, Jainko Bath Fittings; Dr. M. A. Alim, Chairman, CII J&K; Mr. Rakesh Bhat, Co-Chair, FICCI J&K; Mr. Rakesh Wazir, Chairman, PHDCCI J&K; Mr. Tushar Gandotra, X-42 Venture Studio; Mr. Rohit Abrol, Pahalwans; and Mr. Vikram Gupta, Radisson Blu Jammu, Marriott Katra, and City Square Mall. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Vivek Sharma, Chief Innovation Officer, IIM Jammu, and focused on fostering stakeholder collaboration, exploring idea challenges and opportunities, and identifying real-world problems that can be transformed into viable business ventures.
The panel on Cultivating the Innovation Landscape of Jammu & Kashmir, moderated by Prof. Vinod Durge, featured Prof. Manisha Kohli, Principal, GDC Kunjwani; Prof. Pragya Khanna, Principal, GDC Hiranagar; Prof. Archana Koul, Principal, MAM College; and Prof. Sanjeev Gupta, Department of Mechanical Engineering, GCET. The discussion focused on building a strong innovation pipeline, enhancing mentor support, and generating ideas to strengthen Institute Innovation Council programmes across institutions.As part of Innovation Day 2025, a session titled J&K Startup Stories: Interaction with Startups of Jammu & Kashmir showcased inspiring entrepreneurial journeys from across the region. The session featured distinguished academicians, including Prof. Anil Gupta, Professor, University of Jammu; Shri Akash Sharma, Incubation Manager, IIT Jammu; and Prof. Anil Bhat, Professor, SKUAST Jammu, along with startup founders Mr. Divya Vasu, Advanced Futuristic Technologies; Mr. Kanav Gupta, Lubritech Solutions; Mr. Raman Singh, Blessings Pads; and Mr. Vaibhav with Ms. Nidhi, Folk Experience. The interaction provided participants with first-hand insights into innovation-led ventures, startup growth challenges, and emerging opportunities within the evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir.
The valedictory ceremony of Innovation Day 2025, held on 16th December 2025, was graced by Chief Guest Dr. Shantmanu, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, presided over the ceremony, and Dr. Muqbil Burhan, Chairperson, CEISD, IIM Jammu, also graced the occasion.
Chief Guest at the valedictory ceremony of Innovation Day 2025, held on 16th December 2025, Dr. Shantmanu, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, commended Prof. B. S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, for his over two decades of distinguished academic leadership and excellence. Reflecting on the essence of Navachar, a Hindi term embodying novelty and innovation, he emphasized that one should not remain content with existing knowledge but must continuously explore ideas and translate them into practice. He highlighted that innovation is born through manthan, where even failure contributes to learning and progress, and noted that as individuals grow older, innovation can weaken due to career, family, and routine obligations. He stressed that a conscious mix of creativity, experimentation, and reflection is essential to sustain innovative thinking. Expressing gratitude, he thanked IIM Jammu for providing a strong institutional platform that brings together academia, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, enabling meaningful collaboration. Recalling the deliberations preceding the establishment of premier institutions such as IIM Jammu, IIT Jammu, and AIIMS Jammu, he underscored the vision of providing students from Jammu and Kashmir access to world-class education. Urging the youth to aspire higher, he encouraged them to crack the CAT examination and expressed his intent to establish a dedicated CAT coaching centre in the future to mentor students for admission to the Indian Institutes of Management.
He further appreciated IIM Jammu’s close engagement with various departments of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, the Government of India, and several Ministries, noting the Institute’s steady improvement in rankings and placements over the years. Referring to his recent visit to Rajouri, he reiterated that the spirit of Navachar must be continuous, evolving, and dynamic. Highlighting initiatives such as the Mission YUVA scheme and other government-led entrepreneurship programmes, he emphasized that funding has never been a constraint, while the real challenge lies in generating tangible, scalable, and implementable ideas. The principals highlighted the importance of handholding support for startups, noting that the primary challenge faced by aspiring entrepreneurs is funding. They encouraged participation from both students and faculty, shared insights about initiatives already undertaken to nurture innovation, and commended IIM Jammu and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for their efforts in strengthening the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, addressing the valedictory ceremony of Innovation Day 2025, emphasized the importance of moving beyond celebration to reflection, encouraging academic leaders to share insights and learnings to further strengthen the innovation ecosystem. He expressed gratitude to Dr. Shantmanu, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, for his continuous support and for gracing the occasion as Chief Guest. He urged students of Jammu and Kashmir to aim higher and appear for the CAT examination, emphasizing that with determination, nothing is impossible. He also encouraged students to explore JIPMAT and the MBA Integrated Programme in Management at IIMs, highlighting that exposure to premier institutions such as IIM Jammu, IIT Jammu, and AIIMS Jammu paves the way for a transformative academic and professional journey. He invited students to actively engage with institutions like IITs and IIMs and fully leverage the opportunities they offer for holistic growth.
Innovation Day 2025 stands as a testament to IIM Jammu’s proactive role in advancing innovation-led growth and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs in alignment with national and regional development priorities.DD
