KATHUA: The three-day Conference-cum-Workshop on “AI-Driven Innovations in Drug Discovery and Agriculture (AI-D2A 2025)” successfully concluded today at the BIRAC-BioNEST Incubator, Industrial Biotech Park, Ghatti, Kathua.
The event was organized under the aegis of CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, BIRAC–BioNEST Incubator and CSIR–Jigyasa.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space and Vice President CSIR, in a special video message, commended the Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu, and the entire team for thoughtfully organising an event aligned with a futuristic theme — artificial intelligence-driven innovation in drug discovery and agriculture.
He noted that holding such a forward-looking event at the BIRAC-BioNEST Incubator Centre in Kathua adds special significance, as the border district serves not only Jammu & Kashmir but also Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
Dr. Singh further said, “I must also compliment the organizers for bringing together 75 experts and participants from 14 institutions across the country. I am told that at least 20 local participants have returned home far more informed, motivated and inspired than before.”
He added that the participation of 11 distinguished experts added tremendous value to the three-day proceedings, and emphasized the importance of organising such events outside major metros.
“Statistics show that out of 1.7 lakh start-ups in India today, nearly 49–50% emerge from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Kathua, being a smaller town, holds immense unexplored potential. The new BIRAC-BioNEST Incubator Centre will serve as a major boost and a strong motivator for youth in the region. I am confident CSIR-IIIM will continue to organize similar workshops and educational events,” he said.
Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, said that CSIR-IIIM, a premier research institution with strong capabilities in drug discovery, pre-clinical development, genetic improvement of medicinal and aromatic plants, and entrepreneurship promotion, is committed to integrating AI across these domains to nurture innovation.
Dr Ahmed reiterated that under the guidance of and mentorship of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, and Department of Space, MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and Vice President CSIR, Dr. Jitendra Singh, CSIR-IIIM will continue organizing skill development programs and advanced vocational trainings at the BIRAC-BioNEST Incubator to empower youth and make the centre fully functional.
The final day of the conference began with an insightful talk by Dr. Karan Nathwani from IIT Jammu on “AI is Ubiquitous,” where he emphasized that future technology will belong to those who can harmonize AI with human creativity.
This was followed by live demonstrations on drone detection using acoustic and vision sensors, and weed detection through deep learning models, which greatly engaged participants due to their practical relevance in agriculture and environmental monitoring.
Dr. Amit Nargotra, Convener of the Conference-cum-Workshop, expressed gratitude to all speakers, mentors and participants during the vote of thanks.
The 3 day conference hosted 11 distinguished domain experts, including Dr. P. C. Panchariya, Prof. Shandar Ahmad, Dr. M. Karthikeyan, Prof. Prabha Garg, Prof. Andrew Lynn, Prof. Nitin Upadhyay, Dr. Gitanjali Yadav, Dr. Richi Mahajan, Dr. Anju Sharma, Dr. Karan Nathwani and Dr. Saurabh Saran.
They delivered talks on AI models for genomics and transcriptomics, AI-driven cheminformatics for anticancer drug discovery, multidimensional AI strategies for therapeutics, and machine learning frameworks for predicting molecular interactions.
The workshop offered intensive hands-on sessions on Python programming fundamentals, machine learning workflows, data processing and model evaluation. Participants developed predictive models for detecting potato leaf disease using image data and screening compounds targeting human diseases, helping bridge theoretical learning with real-world application.
The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from 75 young researchers and students from 14 institutions, including SKUAST Jammu, University of Jammu, NIPER Mohali, Punjab Agricultural University, CSIR-CSMCERI, CSIR-IGIB, ACBR (University of Delhi), Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology Patiala, University of Horticulture and Forestry Solan, Savitha Dental College & Hospital Chennai and Govt College for Women Thiruvananthapuram.
In a significant step toward supporting local youth, 20 participants from Kathua—including students from GDC Kathua and UIET (JU Kathua Campus)—were offered complimentary registration.
The conference was also live-streamed on CSIR-IIIM’s social media channels, drawing strong virtual engagement.
AI-D2A 2025 was inaugurated on 13th November, with Dr. P. C. Panchariya, Director, CSIR-CEERI Pilani, as chief guest, and Dr. Surinder Kumar Atri, Principal, GMC Kathua, as guest of honour.
The valedictory session and prize distribution marked the conclusion of AI-D2A 2025.
The event was organized under the patronage and supervision of Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu, with support from the scientific and administrative teams of CSIR-IIIM and the organizing committee including Er. Abdul Rahim, Dr. Asha Chaubey, Dr. Shashank Singh, Dr. Dhiraj Vyas, Dr. Sumit Gandhi, Dr. Qazi Naveed Ahmed, Dr. Rajkishor Rai, Dr. Prasoon Gupta, Dr. Amit Nargotra, Dr. Parvinder Pal Singh, Dr. Bhahwal Ali Shah, Dr. Saurabh Saran, Er. Shaghaf Ansari, Rajesh Gupta, Zahoor Wani, Ram Singh and Monika Gupta.
The valedictory session proceedings were conducted by Dr. Vidushi Abrol, followed by a formal vote of thanks by Dr. Amit Nargotra.
