The NewGen IEDC, Business Innovation & Incubation Centre, University of Kashmir (KU), organised a two-day immersive workshop on ‘Driving Innovation Through Design Thinking’ at the Main Campus. It was supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, and RUSA 2.0.
The workshop aimed to equip students, innovators, and aspiring entrepreneurs with practical design thinking tools to develop user-centric, scalable, and socially relevant solutions to real-world problems. It followed globally accepted design thinking frameworks, emphasising user empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing through experiential and collaborative learning.
Addressing the gathering at the valedictory ceremony, Vice-Chancellor KU, Prof. Nilofer Khan, highlighted the importance of innovation-led learning in higher education and said, “Such initiatives prepare our students to think critically, engage with real-life challenges, and develop solutions that are both creative and responsible. Universities must nurture such spaces where ideas can be tested, refined, and transformed into impact-driven outcomes.”
Dean Research KU, Prof. Mohammad Sultan Bhat, and Registrar KU, Prof. Naseer Iqbal, said that design thinking helps translate academic research into practical outcomes and reaffirmed the University’s focus on strengthening its innovation and startup ecosystem through mentoring and incubation.
During the valedictory ceremony, five startups under the MeitY GENESIS Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Scheme were awarded sanction letters for a cumulative grant of ₹20 lakh and formally onboarded as incubates of the NewGen IEDC, KU. Top-performing participants were also felicitated for their outstanding engagement during the workshop.
Earlier, Coordinator, NewGen IEDC KU, Dr. Irfana Rashid, outlined the rationale of the workshop and highlighted the Centre’s recent initiatives aimed at promoting student innovation and entrepreneurial capacity building.
The workshop sessions were led by Dr. Radhika Mia, a globally recognised design thinker, and Mr. Harshil Parikh, a tech founder and AI strategist, who offered inputs on human-centred design, systems thinking, and technology-driven, startup-oriented innovation.
Participants worked in interdisciplinary teams on field-based problem exploration, collaborative ideation, and solution validation. The workshop culminated in team presentations, several of which demonstrated strong potential for incubation and further development.
