The Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, Prof. Umesh Rai, stressed the need to cultivate innovation and entrepreneurship within the academic environment to address societal challenges and drive economic growth. He emphasized that universities play a crucial role in equipping students with the skills and mindset necessary to become successful innovators and job creators.

Prof. Rai noted that such platforms provide an opportunity for collaboration and knowledge-sharing between students, faculty, and industry experts. He further stated that the University of Jammu is already taking significant steps in this direction. "As part of this initiative, the Design Your Degree programme has been introduced at the University of Jammu. This innovative programme, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to provide students with a flexible and interdisciplinary learning experience, empowering them to become job creators and meet the demands of the evolving global economy."

Prof Rai was speaking at the Brainstorming Session on Innovation, Incubation, Startups, and Entrepreneurship organized by the Institution's Innovation Council (IIC) of the University of Jammu. 

The event witnessed the participation of key stakeholders from IIC, SIIEDC, and SPV, with Dr. Shweta Chowdhary, Founder Director of INNOVHER, as the keynote speaker.

Dr. Shweta Chowdhary, who holds a Ph.D. in Architecture and is a renowned startup mentor, shared her expertise on nurturing startups and unlocking opportunities for investment and funding. Drawing from her experience with the Ministry of Power, JJM, and MSME, Government of India, she highlighted strategies to help higher education institutions become self-sustainable. Dr. Chowdhary stressed the importance of empowering young minds to address societal challenges through innovative ideas and guided them on the stages of startup development, from ideation and validation to scaling and execution.

Her talk also shed light on startup tools, valuation, equity, and the significance of the National Education Policy (NEP) in equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in the startup ecosystem.

The session was attended by Dean Academic Affairs, Prof. Anju Bhasin, and senior faculty member, Prof. Naresh Padha. Active discussions were held on establishing incubators, startups, and entrepreneurial units within the University.

The event was conducted by Prof Veenu Kaul, President IIC. Among others present included Prof. Parmil Kumar, Vice President IIC, Prof. Alka Sharma, Director  SIIEDC,  Prof Dipankar Sengupta, CEO SPV and other members from IIC, SPV and SIIEDC, University of Jammu.