J&K Science Congress begins at IUST, 700 participants to present 500 papers
Excelsior Correspondent AWANTIPORA, Sept 29: The three-day Jammu and Kashmir Science Congress 2026 commenced at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) today, with around 700 participants set to present approximately 500 papers across 27 technical sessions on emerging...
Excelsior Correspondent
AWANTIPORA, Sept 29: The three-day Jammu and Kashmir Science Congress 2026 commenced at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) today, with around 700 participants set to present approximately 500 papers across 27 technical sessions on emerging technologies.
Organised under the theme "Science, Innovations and Emerging Technologies for Sustainable and VIKSIT J&K," the Congress seeks to provide a platform for researchers, young scientists and academic institutions to discuss emerging scientific developments and their application to societal, environmental and economic challenges.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Prof. Dinesh Singh, Vice Chairman, J&K Higher Education Council, said technologies like quantum computing, Artificial Intelligence and nuclear fusion are the future, but India remains deficient in these areas. "Therefore, there is a need to accelerate the efforts," he stressed.
IUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo said the Science Congress was an example of a "true multiversity", with participants joining from universities across the country. "At IUST, we have a High-Performance Computing (HPC) facility, which remains underutilized and must be leveraged for advanced research," he said.
Romshoo said the presentations would cover AI, Internet of Things, quantum sciences and quantum technologies, with the aim of using knowledge generated by different institutes to address societal issues, disasters, climate change, economic issues and resources. "After three days, we hope that all the recommendations will be shared with different departments, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Government of India and all the agencies so that it can be implemented," he said.
Guest of Honour Babila Rakwal, Commissioner Secretary, Science and Technology Department, said there was a "dire need to bridge the gap between research and its application."
She said the platform was aimed at bringing young researchers and young minds together to put their "creative ideas" forward and encourage them towards research. "Our aim is to resolve these small problems through R&D," Rakwal said.
The inaugural session was held at the Nund Reshi Auditorium and was attended by Prof. Vinod Kumar Gaur, former Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Prof. Mohammad Mobin, Vice Chancellor, Cluster University Srinagar, and Prof. A Ravinder Nath, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Kashmir.
Earlier, Dean Research IUST Dr. Aabid Hussain Shalla delivered the welcome address, while the JK Science Congress proceedings were also released. The scientific proceedings began with a plenary lecture by Prof. Sourav Pal of Ashoka University, followed by another lecture by Prof. Dinesh Singh. The inaugural session was followed by technical sessions and a poster presentation.
Singh also stressed the need to give early-career scientists greater freedom to think and question. "As long as we don't have the ability to wonder and we don't have the ability to imagine, we won't be able to solve the problems of the new era," he said.
