About 1,200 students and more than 60 teachers from schools and colleges across Jammu spent part of 5 October inside CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), on the day it marked the 85th CSIR Foundation Day. That is the figure the institute itself reports for its Open Day.
What the students saw
According to the institute's account, visitors were taken through the Herbarium, the Tissue Culture labs and the extraction facilities, and introduced to research facilities including incubation and technology business initiatives. A parallel Open Day at the institute's Srinagar branch drew 57 students and eight faculty members from four schools.
The lecture, and the numbers
The chief guest, Dr GN Singh, Advisor (Health) to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and a former Drug Controller General of India, delivered a lecture titled "Integrative Medicine: From Traditional Knowledge to Scientific Innovation." According to the institute's account, he said science and technology are important drivers of economic growth and stressed patents and technology transfer.
Director Dr Zabeer Ahmed, who also heads CSIR-NBRI Lucknow, put these figures on the institute's year: 16 Indian patents and 14 international patent applications filed, over 125 startups and entrepreneurs supported through its incubation ecosystem, a drug-discovery programme with candidates at different development stages, and CSIR Aroma Mission work with farmers growing aromatic crops. The institute also recognised retiring staff and honoured meritorious students of permanent staff members with cash prizes.
Why a Jammu student might care
An Open Day is the cheapest way to find out whether a lab career is for you. JammuBeat has covered the institute before, including a 10-day hands-on course for Jammu students.
What has not been announced: the institute's release does not say how schools were selected for the Open Day or when the next one will be held. If your school or college wasn't among them, the practical step is to ask your science teacher to write to the institute directly, or to watch its news page for the next student programme.
Sources: CSIR-IIIM, 85th Foundation Day report; Daily Excelsior, 5 October 2026 (which reproduces the institute's release). Image: CSIR-IIIM.
