Srinagar, Jan 29: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir’s Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship (SKIIE) Centre has been recognised as the ‘Incubator of the Year’ by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir at the Annual Startup Mela in Jammu today.
The award was presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in the presence of Advisor to CM Nasir Aslam Sogami, MLA Vijaypur Chander Prakash Ganga, Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce Vikramjit Singh, Secretary Industries, Director JKEDI, and other senior officials. The event was organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) under the Industries and Commerce Department.
The recognition follows a rigorous evaluation of incubation centres across the Union Territory, assessing innovation output, patents, startup performance, sustainability, governance, mentorship, industry linkages, and overall impact. The committee lauded SKIIE Centre for its strong support to disruptive startups in agri-tech, AI, deep-tech, food processing, biotechnology, and rural enterprises, as well as its mentorship network and facilitation of market and investment access.
The award, received by CEO Naveed Hamid, included a Certificate of Excellence, ₹50,000 as award money, and a ₹50 lakh capital seed fund to strengthen incubation activities at the Centre.
In a major boost to SKUAST-K’s startup ecosystem, four incubated startups—M/s Cashmircarbozone Pvt. Ltd. (Owais Al Wani), M/s Alhamdan Crafts Pvt. Ltd. (Tahir Kalwal), M/s Safavi Organics LLP (Syed Saqib), and M/s Innxu Innotech (Sheikh Zubair)—were awarded seed grants of ₹20 lakh each, totaling ₹80 lakh, to support product development, validation, and early market entry.
Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai congratulated the SKIIE team, calling the award a testament to the vision, dedication, and collaborative efforts of mentors, faculty, and student innovators. He described the Centre as a hub of hope for young innovators and urged it to leverage this recognition for national and global visibility.
Prof Haroon Rashid Naik, Director Planning & Monitoring/Research and CEO SKIIE, expressed gratitude, highlighting that the award reflects the credibility and impact of SKUAST-K’s incubation initiatives. He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to expand support services and partnerships for scalable startup solutions.
The recognition consolidates SKUAST-K’s leadership in agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship. The SKIIE Centre plans to use the award and seed funding to expand incubation capacity, strengthen industry collaborations, and deepen outreach across Jammu and Kashmir, aiming to develop solutions for regional agricultural and rural challenges, contributing to J&K’s transformation into a model bio-economy by 2047.
