Welcome to CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine

I am honored to assume the office of the Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, a national premier research institute in Jammu and Kashmir, one of the constituent laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), under Union Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. It was founded in 1941 by Col. Sir Ram Nath Chopra as the Drug Research Laboratory of J&K State and was later taken over by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of the Government of India in December 1957 and renamed as the Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), Jammu. Later in 2007, in view of the Institute’s strength of natural product driven drug discovery, the institute was renamed as Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine.

At CSIR-IIIM, our endeavor is to become an internationally competitive center of excellence in all aspects of natural products research and technology, including the discovery of novel pharmacologically active natural products from plants, microbes & extremophiles and the translation of these natural products into drug leads/candidates through medicinal chemistry, preclinical and clinical development. CSIR-IIIM makes major contributions to the discovery and development of new medications, particularly in the fields of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory disorders, diabetes mellitus and obesity, infectious diseases as well as neurodegenerative disorders. It has made a name for itself through its efforts to integrate traditional Indian medicine systems with modern scientific proof of concept in order to generate successful therapies acceptable globally.

As Director, I envision to build on the institute’s rich legacy while also doing cutting edge science which would have global impact, work to attain the goals of atmanirbhar bharat for the inclusive economic development, innovation driven industrial connect and act as vibrant knowledge partner of the govt. The institute has highly skilled and experienced scientists who collaborate to develop knowledge that has a beneficial impact on society. We employ a multidisciplinary approach, integrating traditional Indian medicinal systems with modern scientific methodologies, to develop new small molecules as NCE drugs, phytopharma/botanicals, and AYUSH products, as well as develop farmer centric agro-technologies aiming to increase their incomes by several folds, thus aligning with the mandate given by our Hon’ble Prime Minister. The institute has modern labs. & infrastructural facilities, a phytopharma drug manufacturing plant, GLP standard animal house, advanced instrumentation, and a library with an extensive collection of scientific literature and access to valuable research databases, comfortable residential accommodation, hostel & recreation facilities. I will see that we continually upgrade these facilities and provide a wholesome and thriving niche and working platform to new talent, both as scientists and students, from across the country and the world.

I take this opportunity to welcome Industries, Startups, Academia, Researchers, and Students to explore CSIR-IIIM, to know about its rich heritage, and get firsthand experience of R&D activities and other societal works being carried out.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             (Zabeer Ahmed)