University of Jammu Special Purpose Vehicle foundation (UOJSPVF), University of Jammu in collaboration with Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks, organised a “Round table Meeting – A way Forward for GI’s of Jammu and Kashmir” assessing the distinctiveness of the UT's native and traditional items, ensuring their protection in the domestic and global market.

The meeting was held in the department of UOJSPVF and was chaired by Prof. Unnat Pandit, CGPDTM, DPIIT, MoCI (GoI). Prof. Unnat Pandit shared the whole essence of the meeting and discussed in detail how Jammu & Kashmir could build a vision with regards to GI. He also emphasized how the local artisans and farmers could be involved in building the ecosystem regarding GI and what could be its benefits for them.

Prof. Parikshat Singh Manhas, Rector, Udhampur Campus and CEO and Promoter Director of UOJSPVF was the convener of the programme. In his introductory remarks, Prof. Manhas welcomed the delegates and emphasised the need of drawing attention to indigenous products and supporting Jammu and Kashmir's farmers and artisans.Prof. Parikshat thanked the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks for reposing faith in the UOJSPVF for organising this event. He briefed the participants about the vision of UOJSPVF and emphasised that UOJSPVF is committed to build up a star up ecosystem in Jammu & Kashmir.

Other participants of the roundtable were Dr.P.S Pandit, Assistant Professor, Navsari Agricultural University, Dr. Sachin Gupta, Associate professor, Division of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST Jammu, Dr. Romesh Kumar Salgotra, Professor & Coordinator, School of Biotechnology, SKUAST Jammu, and Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Professor cum Chief Scientist, Pulse Research Sub Station, Samba, SKUAST Jammu, Dr. S. Sivakumar, AR of TM & GI, GIR, Shri Prashanth Kumar, AR of TM & GI, GIR, whereas Shri M. Mohammad Habibulla, Assistant Registrar, of TM & GI, Head of office Chennai, Prof. Prabuddha Ganguli, Honorary Professor, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), attended the meeting virtually.

The roundtable discussion covered subjects such as the potential of intellectual property in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, protection of goods and craftsmen in domestic and international markets, standardisation of goods and packaging, branding of finished goods, design registration and also resolved to encourage and offer guidance to micro-cooperative enterprises, farmer producer organizations, and other associations towards the creation of innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem at the bottom level of society. Academics and scientists deliberated upon the dynamics of geographical locations that are well-recognised for providing particular goods and services, as well as how the products might be evaluated for their issuance and regulation. The necessity of GI Tags was further stressed during the conversation since consumers are more likely to make purchase decisions based on geographical indicators due to their geographical environment or cultural attributes, which in turn facilitates the economy's output, prosperity, and growth. While concluding the meeting all presentators decided to take all efficient steps to guide the people of the country to progress in their respective start-ups and motivate to promote the huge potential of Jammu and Kashmir.The programme also featured an exhibition of potential products from Jammu and Kashmir, which was attended by a number of people from various walks of life.