Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: The CSIR–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, on Monday celebrated its 85th Foundation Day with enthusiasm and a renewed commitment to scientific innovation. The event brought together senior scientists, dignitaries, and researchers who reflected on the institute’s eight-decade-long journey and its expanding national footprint.
Former Director of CSIR-CFTRI Mysuru, Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, graced the ceremony as the Chief Guest, while Dr. Kannan Srinivasan, Director of CSIR-CSMCRI Bhavnagar, attended as the Guest of Honour. The celebration was presided over by Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu.
Dr. Annapurna Singh, the Chief Guest delivered the foundation day lecture, “ Hidden medicines in your food” which was insightful, connecting food science with integrative medicine. She emphasized the growing global relevance of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and India’s traditional dietary wisdom, urging young scientists to pursue scientific validation of indigenous knowledge for global health impact. Considering the critical requirement of quality foods, the scientific knowledge is required and the quality of food and nutraceuticals should be given foremost importance. She also opined to build a strong collaboration within CSIR labs. and the industries to make the best use of expertise and time.
Guest of Honour Dr. Srinivasan commended IIIM’s exceptional student-scientist ratio and its strong translational research capabilities. He highlighted the crucial role of the institute’s pilot-scale facilities in helping innovations cross the “valley of death” and urged researchers to utilize new opportunities emerging through ICMR’s support for clinical trials.
In his presidential address, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed said the 85th Foundation Day marks a moment of immense pride for the institute, which has completed 84 years of scientific service since its establishment in 1941. Dr. Ahmed highlighted that more than 1,000 students from schools, colleges, and universities visited IIIM’s Jammu, Srinagar, and satellite centres today.
Their participation, he said, reflects the institute’s continued effort to connect science with society and inspire young innovators. Tracing the institute’s journey from the Drug Research Laboratory of J&K to RRL in 1957 and later IIIM in 2007, he acknowledged the contributions of former directors and paid tribute to Col. Sir Ram Nath Chopra, regarded as the father of Indian pharmacology.
He said IIIM’s dual campuses in Jammu and Srinagar, along with experimental farms across different agro-climatic zones, have strengthened the institute’s work in natural product drug discovery, agrotechnology, aroma and floriculture missions, plant sciences, and biotechnology.
Dr. Ahmed outlined a series of achievements from the past year. These include the large-scale training of women under the Atal Incubation Centre, the e-tractor campaign launched by CSIR–CMERI and flagged off from IIIM Jammu, and the National Startup Festival that saw participation from more than 75 startups and the signing of several key MoUs.
He noted that the Lavender Festival and Floriculture conclaves brought together farmers, startups, policymakers and the essential oils industry on a common platform. IIIM’s focus on standardisation of traditional medicines, skill development programmes for young clinicians and teachers, and the establishment of the BIRAC–BioNEST Centre at Biotech Park were also highlighted.
The director said IIIM conducted 748 training programmes under CSIR Skill Initiatives and engaged more than 3,000 students through JIGYASA. Several collaborations were signed with IITs, IIMs, industries, and government departments such as DST, DBT, ICMR and AYUSH. He shared that IIIM is currently running four incubation centres—TBI Jammu, BioNEST Jammu, AIC Srinagar, and BioNEST Kathua. The institute has incubated more than 125 startups, with 12 already launching market-ready products.
This year, IIIM received the Bharat Incubator Award and the CSIR Aroma Mission team bagged a national recognition. On the occasion, IIIM formalized two new industry partnerships by signing Confidentiality Disclosure Agreements (CDAs) with Hapico and Medispace Innovations. The agreements aim to deepen collaborative research and strengthen the link between cutting-edge science and industry-ready technologies.
Meanwhile, the institute also marked the filing of 14 patents—10 foreign and 4 Indian. On the occasion the S&T staff members were also awarded with appreciation certificates for the impactful work done them during last one year. The proceedings were conducted by Dr. Gurleen Kour, while Abdul Rahim, Chief Scientist & Head RMBD&IST and Head IIIM (Branch) Srinagar, proposed the vote of thanks.