SRINAGAR: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) has received the “Excellence in Agri-Incubation Leadership Award” at the 2nd Sustainable Agriculture Summit held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. The award was given to Naveed Hamid, CEO of the university’s Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship Centre (SKIIE), supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The award was presented by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur and Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale. The event was attended by several senior bureaucrats and industry representatives, including Director MNRE Suman Chandra (IAS), former Delhi and Goa Secretary Jayadev Sarangi, Godrej Agrovet’s Rajavelu, Syngenta India’s K C Ravi, SIDBI’s Rajendra Prasad, and others.
The award acknowledges the centre’s work in promoting agri-startups and technological innovation in agriculture. According to official figures, the SKUAST-K incubation centre has supported more than 300 innovators, helped establish 88 agri-startups, and facilitated 91 patent applications. It focuses on areas including food security, sustainability, waste management, and tech-driven agricultural solutions.
Speaking at the event, Hamid said the recognition was the result of team efforts and was dedicated to young innovators and the university’s leadership. He said the SKIIE Centre would continue to work towards strengthening the agribusiness ecosystem and supporting startups in navigating the market and regulatory challenges.
The centre has previously been involved in projects funded under TBI by DST, E-YUVA by BIRAC, SAMARTH by the Central Silk Board, and initiatives under MEITY and JKCIP. It has also won awards including the Star Startup Ecosystem Award (ICCW, Paris) and Best Agri-Incubation Centre by BCC&I and AIC India.
SKUAST-K Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir A Gania said the award reflected the work done by the university in building an innovation ecosystem around agriculture and allied sectors. He added that such recognition should motivate institutions to push further on research-to-market translation.
