Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai - NEWS Of KASHMIR

Rural Business Incubation Centre (RBIC) at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, supported by NABARD, hosted a one-day hands-on workshop on ‘Innovation to Product Commercialisation’, aimed at transforming research ideas into commercially viable ventures in the agriculture and allied sectors.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The workshop was conducted by national deep-tech expert Dr Kaushik Choudhury, CEO, AIC IPR Plasmatech Innovation Foundation (Department of Atomic Energy, GoI), Ahmedabad. Dr Choudhury shared a practical roadmap for innovators, drawing on his vast experience in supporting startups and co-founding companies that successfully commercialised high-impact medical and agricultural technologies.

The session focused on bridging the critical gap between laboratory discovery and market application, providing participants with the mindset and tools needed for scaling up their products. About 100 scholars, students, faculty members, innovators and startup founders participated in the daylong workshop.

The workshop was inaugurated by Director Education, SKUAST-K, Prof Mohd Altaf Bhat, who was the chief guest at the occasion.

Prof Bhat highlighted the University’s commitment, driven by the vision of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, who established Innovation and Entrepreneurship as the Fourth Mandate of the institution. He emphasised SKUAST-K is equipped with 21 state-of-the-art labs and vast intellectual capital to turn the valley into a startup hub.

Assistant General Manager, NABARD, Kanav Sharma, said that RBIC at SKUAST-K shall prove a game changer in empowering rural community through entrepreneurship and innovation for employment generation and economic development.

Head, IBPR, SKUAST-K Prof Farhet Shaeen, in his concluding remarks, said that RBIC must reach out to young talent to look for innovative ideas that have high potential of real world problem solving.

Dr Jameel Ahmad Khan, CEO, RBIC, introduced the centre as the institutional mechanism to provide end-to-end support through its five verticals – incubation, mentorship, capacity building, funding – to agripreneurs and rural startups in the region.

A select number of startups that displayed their products will receive an opportunity to showcase their products and ideas at the People’s Festival of Innovations 2025 in New Delhi from November 17-20, 2025.

Recently established Rural Business Incubation Centre hosted at SKUAST-K, funded and supported by National Agriculture and Rural Development Bank (NABARD), aims to strengthen the innovation and startup ecosystem in J&K and Ladakh through dedicated mentorship, incubation facilities, funding and other required facilities for startups and ventures.

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Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai has received a two-year extension as the Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar. The announcement was made by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha, who also serves as the Chancellor of SKUAST-K. An official order (No: LGS/19/SC/JU/2021/5595-5602), dated 13 December 2024, confirmed the extension, which will take effect from 16 December 2024, following the completion of Prof Ganai’s current term.

The order states: “In exercise of the powers vested in me, under Section 25 (2) of Sher-I-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Act, 1982, I, Manoj Sinha, Chancellor, SKUAST Kashmir, hereby extend the tenure of Prof Nazir Ganai, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST Kashmir, for a period of two years with immediate effect from 16.12.2024, the date of completion of his existing term as the Vice Chancellor, SKUAST Kashmir.”

The announcement sparked celebrations across SKUAST-K. Teaching and non-teaching staff, along with students, expressed their joy and gratitude, transforming the campus into a festive scene. Prof Ganai extended his thanks to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for their confidence in his leadership. He emphasised his commitment to advancing education, research, and innovation, aiming to position SKUAST-K as a globally recognised institution of excellence.

Prof Ganai, born in 1965, has been instrumental in introducing transformative policy initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir’s agricultural sector. Among these is the ₹5012-crore Holistic Agricultural Development Program (HADP). He also played a key role in securing SKUAST-K’s prestigious ₹30-crore World Bank ICAR-funded project under the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), which later became a World Bank case study for its effective implementation and visionary approach.

Another significant achievement of Prof Ganai’s tenure was the internationalisation of education at SKUAST-K. The International Education Fair organised under this initiative received commendation from the External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar. Under his leadership, SKUAST-K introduced modern courses such as BTech in Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture, BSc in Microbiology, and BSc in Economics and Data Science. The university also established state-of-the-art facilities like an Incubation Centre and a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI & ML). Additionally, Prof Ganai prioritised transdisciplinary and translational research, innovative extension strategies, and youth skill development.

With over 30 years of experience in teaching, research, and extension, including 11 years as a Professor, Prof Ganai holds a PhD in Genetics and Breeding from the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. He completed postdoctoral research at Wageningen University of Research (WUR), Netherlands, and has served in various administrative roles, including Director of Planning and Monitoring at SKUAST-K.

Prof Ganai has been awarded several prestigious fellowships, including a joint fellowship on academic leadership from IIT Roorkee and Michigan University, USA (2018), the Durham International Fellowship from Durham University, UK (2016), and the Erasmus Mundus Fellowship from Wageningen University, Netherlands (2009). He has also been a visiting fellow at Wisconsin State University, USA (2012).

As an accomplished academic, researcher, and administrator, Prof Ganai has significantly contributed to shaping SKUAST-K’s vision. His efforts aim to transform the potential of graduate students into a generation of skilled, innovative, and forward-thinking leaders equipped to address the challenges of tomorrow.

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