Innovation at Work: How Biotech Could Power Kashmir’s Next Startup Leap

As Jammu & Kashmir confronts rising unemployment and a fast-changing economic landscape, strengthening the region’s startup ecosystem has become not just important—but imperative. Innovation-led growth, strategic collaborations, and sustained institutional support are now the engines driving a new wave of entrepreneurship across the valley. In this candid conversation, Senior Editor at Greater Kashmir, Nazir Ganaie, engages with Dr. Shahid Jibran, who works in the startup incubation, innovation management, and skill development sector. As the CEO of CSIR–IIIM under the AIC-IIIM Bio Innovation Foundation, Dr. Jibran is at the forefront of catalyzing biotech-driven entrepreneurship, ecosystem partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives that uplift young innovators and emerging startups. Jibran also has an experience spanning JKEDI, IIM Jammu initiatives, and national entrepreneurship programs, he continues to nurture early-stage ventures, build incubation pipelines, and foster a robust culture of creativity and problem-solving in the region.