Jammu is quietly becoming a place students travel to for hands-on tech learning — and IIT Jammu's latest programme is a neat example. The institute has concluded its six-week “Designovation – Design, Technology & Innovation” Internship Programme 2026, and the numbers tell the story: 30 undergraduate students from 11 states spent their summer on the Jammu campus turning ideas into working prototypes.
Run by IIT Jammu's Central Workshop in association with the Centre for Essential Skills (CES), the internship was built around doing, not just listening. Participants moved through expert sessions, lab training and industrial visits covering advanced manufacturing, design and innovation, then formed interdisciplinary teams to tackle real-world engineering challenges with prototype-based solutions.
The payoff was tangible. Several student projects were recognised for their innovation, technical feasibility and societal relevance — and, notably, a number were identified for patent-filing consideration. For an undergraduate, having your summer project flagged as potentially patentable is a serious line on a CV, and a glimpse of how real research and product design actually begin.
The valedictory function was led by Col Virinder Singh Jeji (Retd), Registrar, IIT Jammu, alongside Prof. Meenakshi Rajeev (Dean, Outreach & Skill Development), Prof. Ashwin Khambadkone and faculty from across departments. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Akash Subhash Awale, Professor In-Charge of the Central Workshop, supported by his workshop team.
Why Jammu students should care
Two things stand out for the city's youth. First, IIT Jammu is increasingly running short, practical, hands-on programmes — exactly the kind of experience that a lecture-heavy degree often lacks. A six-week stint that ends in a working prototype teaches more about engineering than a semester of theory can. Second, these openings pull talent from across the country to Jammu, putting local students in the same room as motivated peers from ten other states without ever leaving home.
The lesson for Jammu undergraduates is simple: keep an eye on IIT Jammu's outreach and skill-development notices. Summer internships, workshops and skilling programmes like Designovation are among the fastest ways to build a real portfolio — prototypes, patents-in-the-making and a network — while still in college. When the next edition opens, be the local student who applies rather than the one who hears about it after it ends.
Source: Daily Excelsior — 'Designovation – Design, Technology & Innovation' Programme held at IIT Jammu.
