Udyamitsav and Pragyaan 2026 at IIT Jammu Highlight Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Experiential Learning

NewsVoir
Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir) [India], February 9: The Indian Institute of Technology Jammu successfully concluded Udyamitsav and Pragyaan 2026, two flagship initiatives that together underscore the institute's growing national role in fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship, scientific temper and experiential learning among India's youth. The two-day engagement brought together students, educators, innovators, industry leaders, and policymakers, positioning IIT Jammu as a youth-centric, future-facing IIT committed to building the next generation of job creators, problem solvers, and technology leaders.
The inaugural session was graced by Shri Kavinder Gupta, Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, as Chief Guest, along with Prof. Manoj Singh Gaur, Director, IIT Jammu, setting the tone for purposeful dialogue on innovation, education, and national development. Addressing the gathering, Shri Kavinder Gupta remarked that India's youth will be the driving force behind Viksit Bharat 2047, noting that platforms such as Udyamitsav and Pragyaan nurture innovation, curiosity, and scientific thinking while transforming young minds into future innovators and entrepreneurs. He also lauded IIT Jammu for emerging as a hub of research, innovation, and startup culture, contributing meaningfully to the evolving knowledge economy of New India.
Prof. Manoj Singh Gaur highlighted the institute's vision of experiential education, stating that IIT Jammu aims to connect classrooms with creativity, research, and societal engagement. He emphasized that initiatives like Udyamitsav and Pragyaan reflect the institute's commitment to preparing students to address real-world challenges through innovation and hands-on learning.
Adding an inspiring dimension to the programme, Group Captain Angad Pratap, Astronaut Designate, India, delivered an inspiring session sharing insights from real mission experiences. He spoke on leadership under uncertainty, resilience through failure, and innovation driven by discipline and purpose, offering students and educators a powerful perspective on problem-solving and courage in the face of the unknown.
The fourth edition of Udyamitsav 2026, IIT Jammu's flagship entrepreneurship and innovation festival, emerged as a vibrant national platform bringing together students, early-stage founders, startups, and industry leaders from across the country. Aligned with the Make in India vision, the festival promoted innovation-led entrepreneurship and job creation through an immersive programme that included a Startup Expo, fintech competitions, CXO roundtable discussions, finance quizzes, and a mock IPL auction. These activities were designed to strengthen strategic thinking, leadership, teamwork, and risk-taking capabilities while exposing participants to real-world business and market dynamics. By integrating hands-on experiences with problem-solving, Udyamitsav enabled students to translate ideas into scalable ventures with social and economic impact.
The festival also featured expert-led sessions by Nandini Sharma, educator, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and gold medalist, and Meher Kaur, chartered accountant and finance educator, on startup branding and visibility, focusing on how early-stage ventures can build credibility and market presence in competitive ecosystems, reinforcing institute's emphasis on practical entrepreneurship education.
Pragyaan 2026, IIT Jammu's flagship Open Day and STEAM outreach initiative, showcased the institute's commitment to nurturing scientific temper and creativity among school students and educators. This year, Pragyaan witnessed participation from over 6,000 students and teachers from schools across Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, featuring more than 130 exhibition stalls and 45+ indoor and outdoor scientific and creative activities. The programme offered immersive exposure through live innovation exhibits, maker spaces, ProtoSpace and Tinkerers' Lab walkthroughs, and interactive engagements with IIT Jammu's students and faculty, transforming curiosity into hands-on learning.
A strong emphasis was placed on educator engagement and ecosystem building through initiatives such as Rubrics, a structured programme focusing on pedagogy, assessment, and technology-enabled learning, and the Principals' Conclave, which facilitated dialogue on sustainable STEAM ecosystems and long-term school-IIT collaborations.
Pragyaan also celebrated creativity and inquiry-driven learning through platforms such as Rangmanch, the Junior Open STEAM Hackathon (JOSH), and the STEAM Innovation Challenge 2026, where participants developed socially relevant, solution-oriented projects spanning sustainability, healthtech, smart urban and rural solutions, and next-generation education technologies. These initiatives fostered early-stage innovation skills while strengthening collaboration, analytical thinking, and leadership among young learners.
The successful conclusion of Udyamitsav and Pragyaan 2026 reinforces IIT Jammu's emergence as a nationally relevant, youth-focused, and innovation-driven institution. By bridging education with entrepreneurship, research, and experiential learning, IIT Jammu continues to strengthen India's pipeline of skilled innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs. As the institute looks ahead, initiatives like Udyamitsav and Pragyaan exemplify its vision of inclusive, experiential, and future-ready education, contributing meaningfully to India's journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
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