LEH: The Indian Institute of Management Jammu and the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the IIM Jammu Leh Campus, marking a significant step towards expanding access to quality management education and strengthening Ladakh’s ecosystem for entrepreneurship, innovation, research and skill development.
The MoU was signed at Lok Niwas, Leh, in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman of the IIM Jammu Board of Governors Padma Shri Dr Milind P. Kamble and Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra. IIM Jammu Director Prof. B.S. Sahay and Secretary, Higher Education, Ladakh Administration, Bhanu Prabha, IAS, signed the agreement.
The partnership establishes a long-term framework for collaboration in higher education, entrepreneurship, innovation, incubation, capacity building, executive education, research, consultancy and institutional development. As part of its initial academic offering, the Leh campus will introduce a four-year BBA (Hons.) programme, with a proposed intake of 60 students for the academic session 2026-27.
Beyond academic programmes, the proposed campus is envisaged as a broader institutional hub encompassing entrepreneurship, business acceleration, innovation and incubation, executive education, skill development, research and consultancy. The collaboration will also provide for career counselling, faculty development, institutional mentoring and customised capacity-building programmes for government officials and other stakeholders.
Under the MoU, the Ladakh Administration will facilitate transit campus infrastructure, including academic and hostel facilities, furnishing, faculty and staff accommodation and transport. The proposed campus is planned as a technology-enabled and climate-resilient facility equipped with smart classrooms, digital learning, hybrid teaching and video-conferencing facilities.
A key focus of the partnership will be the development of an entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem in Leh. IIM Jammu will work with the UT Administration and other stakeholders to promote entrepreneurship awareness, mentoring, business development, innovation and incubation. The MoU also envisages bringing IIM Jammu’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Skill Development to Leh and exploring business accelerator initiatives for entrepreneurs, start-ups and small and family-owned enterprises.
The collaboration will further enable IIM Jammu to contribute its academic and professional expertise to areas including policy support, monitoring and evaluation, public policy and advocacy, community development, action research and capacity building for initiatives of the UT Administration.
The MoU marks a new phase in IIM Jammu’s engagement with Ladakh, bringing management education, entrepreneurship, innovation, research and institutional capacity building under a common framework aimed at creating greater opportunities for the region’s youth and supporting Ladakh’s long-term development.
