Sixty students from GDC Kargil visit IIIM Jammu to learn about advanced laboratory facilities, scientific innovation and technology business incubation.
JAMMU: Sixty undergraduate students from Government Degree College (GDC), Kargil, visited the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, to explore scientific research, advanced laboratory facilities and start-up opportunities, as the institute sought to encourage students from Ladakh to pursue careers beyond conventional academic and employment pathways.
Organised under the theme ‘From Science to Start-ups’, the exposure programme brought five faculty members from the college along with the students to familiarise them with the institute’s research infrastructure, technology business incubation facilities and initiatives linking scientific research with livelihoods and entrepreneurship.
The programme aimed to help students understand how scientific knowledge could be translated into practical solutions, locally relevant innovations and viable business ventures, while exposing them to opportunities in higher education, research and enterprise.
Addressing the visiting delegation, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director of CSIR-IIIM Jammu and CSIR-NBRI Lucknow, said connecting scientific institutions with society and its stakeholders was an important part of the institute’s mandate.
Welcoming the students from Kargil, he said such interactions brought young people closer to scientific research and helped them understand how science could address real-world challenges. He encouraged them to identify problems in their communities and explore practical solutions through scientific knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Dr Ahmed said talent and intelligence were not limited by geography, particularly for young people from remote and geographically challenging regions. Access to opportunities, exposure to advanced facilities and the willingness to pursue new ideas, he said, could help students realise their potential.
He urged the students to look beyond conventional career options and explore research, higher education, skill development and start-ups. He also encouraged them to remain connected with CSIR-IIIM and seek guidance from its scientists and incubation team as they pursued their academic and entrepreneurial interests.
Highlighting the institute’s societal initiatives, Dr Ahmed referred to programmes linked to aromatic plants and floriculture, which connect scientific research with farmers’ livelihoods and entrepreneurial opportunities. These initiatives, he said, demonstrated how research could generate practical benefits for communities.
Earlier, Dr Saurabh Saran, Principal Investigator of the BioNEST IIIM Technology Business Incubator (TBI), said the programme was designed to help undergraduate students, particularly those studying biotechnology, chemistry, physics and related disciplines, understand how classroom learning was applied in research laboratories and industrial processes.
Dr Saran explained that the visit introduced students to different stages of scientific research, including the development and processing of plant-based products and the use of advanced analytical instruments to identify and study active compounds.
He said students faced two broad pathways after graduation: pursuing higher education and research or converting scientific ideas into viable business ventures. Highlighting the role of the institute’s technology business incubator, he encouraged them to explore start-up opportunities and interact with the team to understand the support available for developing their ideas.
Dr Saran expressed hope that stronger interaction between CSIR-IIIM and educational institutions in Ladakh would encourage more young people from the region to pursue scientific entrepreneurship.
Dr Suphla B. Gupta, Nodal Officer for the Aroma Mission, also interacted with the students and emphasised the practical applications of subjects taught at the undergraduate level.
She explained that disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biotechnology, biochemistry and agricultural sciences could contribute to initiatives involving aromatic plants, cultivation practices, scientific processing and product development. She encouraged the students to connect their academic knowledge with research and livelihood-oriented activities.
Representing GDC Kargil, Mohammad Raza, Assistant Professor at the college, thanked CSIR-IIIM for organising the programme and providing students with an opportunity to experience a research institution at close quarters.
He said the college had sought the visit to familiarise students with advanced laboratory facilities, fermentation technology, research practices and opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Raza observed that access to advanced research facilities and hands-on learning opportunities remained important for undergraduate students in Ladakh, where research infrastructure and exposure to specialised scientific environments were still developing. The visit, he said, was intended to help students understand the wider possibilities in research, business incubation and entrepreneurship.
Referring to CSIR-IIIM’s academic engagement with Ladakh, Raza said the institute had developed links with the region’s higher education institutions. He stressed the need to encourage students to identify challenges in their own communities and develop locally relevant solutions.
He added that GDC Kargil would explore the possibility of organising a follow-up interaction at the college with CSIR-IIIM’s support, enabling more students to benefit from exposure to scientific research and start-up development.
The programme included sessions on the Aroma Mission and Floriculture Mission, besides a presentation on the role of CSIR-IIIM’s Technology Business Incubator in supporting start-ups in Jammu and Kashmir.
The visiting students also toured the institute’s current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility, fermentation facility and IIIM Technology Business Incubator to gain first-hand knowledge of its scientific infrastructure and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The programme concluded with the distribution of participation certificates among the students. Dr Vidushi Abrol, Business Manager, Technology Business Incubator, delivered the vote of thanks.
