Dr. Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad is working as an Assistant Professor atZIBS. He holds M.Phil and PhD from the Centre for Studies in Science Policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Postdoc from Zhejiang University. He is co-editor of the book titled ‘Informal Sector Innovations: Insights from Global South’, (Routledge, Taylor and Francis, 2015). His major research interests include Alternative Innovation Models, Digital Frugal Innovations, Regional Development and China Innovation. Journals such as Oxford Development Studies, International Planning and Development Review, Current Science, Journal of Rural Studies and Science Technology and Society have published some of his recent papers. He also contributed to the Handbook on Alternative Theories of Innovation (Edward Elgar, 2021) and the upcoming Handbook on Frugal Innovations (Edward Elgar, 2022). Recently, he co-edited a special issue on ‘Rethinking Innovation and Development Discourses in Light of COVID-19’ for Science Technology and Society, a Sage Journal. Notably, this special issue included contributions from prominent scholars in the fields of innovation and development, including a Nobel Laureate. He also moderated a special session on ‘Alternative Innovation and Development Models: Insights from China, India, and Pakistan’ on September 23, 2022 for Science Summit of the United Nations General Assembly.

Education

2022, Postdoc, School of Management, Zhejiang University, China 

2017, PhD, Centre for Studies in Science Policy, JNU, New Delhi-India 

2012, MPhil, Centre for Studies in Science Policy, JNU, New Delhi-India 

2009, MBA, Pondicherry University, India

Work Experience

November, 2022 – Present, Assistant Professor, Zhejiang University

September 2019-August 2022, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Zhejiang University, China 

September 2022 – Present, Adjunct Faculty (Innovations), Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-K), Kashmir-India 

2019-2022, M.Sc. Innovation Course Consultant, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Kashmir- India. 

2019, Innovation Consultant, Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Government of Jammu and Kashmir- India  

2017, Visiting Scholar: University of Sussex and Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, England. 

2014, Visiting Scholar, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Portugal, under European Commission’s Crossing Boundaries Project funded by MARIE CURIE ACTIONS, International Research Staff Exchange Scheme.

2014, Visiting Scholar, School of Management, University of Bradford, England. 

January – June 2013, Coordinator, Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR)). Worked on a special project called ‘CEFIPRA-25’ and prepared a report with my co- researchers on ‘India-France Science, Technology and Innovations’. 

June 2007 – July 2010, Collaborator, National Innovation Foundation (NIF), established by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for providing institutional support to strengthen the grassroots technological innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge holders.

Publications

Journal Articles

• Sheikh, F. A (2023), Rethinking Innovation and Development Discourses in Light of COVID-19, for Science Technology and Society a Sage Journal (Accepted) with Prof Xiaobo WU.

• Sheikh, F.A. (2021), Social innovation and rural territories: Exploring invisible contexts and actors in Portugal and India, Journal of Rural Studies, Elsevier. With (Maria de Fátima Ferreiro , Cristina de Sousa , Marina Novikova). 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2021), Policy space for informal sector grassroots innovations: towards a ‘bottom- up’ narrative, International Development Planning Review, Liverpool University Press, England) with Saradindu Bhaduri, 43, (1), 115–140. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2020), Grassroots innovations in the informal economy: insights from value theory, Oxford Development Studies, 48:1, 85-99, with Saradindu Bhaduri. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2015) Historico-Political Contingencies, Intellectual Property Rights, and Economic Performance across Countries: A Simultaneous Equation System Perspective, The Journal of World Intellectual Property, John Wiley & Sons. Volume 18 (3-4), pp. 107–126 (co-authored with Dr. Saradindu Bhaduri (first author) and others: Deep Jyoti Francis, Dwarkeshwar Dutt, Vineet Kumar). 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2014) Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013 of India and informal sector innovations, CURRENT SCIENCE, Vol. 106 (22), pp.21-23. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2014) Exploring informal sector community innovations and knowledge appropriation: A study of Kashmiri pashmina shawls, AJSTID, Taylor and Francis, Routledge, Vol. 6 (3), pp. 203-212. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2018) Undervaluation of informal sector innovations: Making a case for revisiting methodology, AJSTID, Taylor and Francis, Routledge. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2018), Tradition and Innovation: Between Dynamics and Tensions, African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 11:5. 

Forthcoming and Under Review 

• Special Issue titled ‘Rethinking Innovation and Development Discourses in Light of COVID-19’, for Science Technology and Society a Sage Journal (Issue Due April 2023) with Prof. Xiaobo Wu. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (Under Review). Regional studies and frugal innovation: a missing link? Insights from Kashmir during the COVID-19 pandemic (Regional Studies) with Rhiannon Pugh and Xiaobo Wu. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (Under Review). Frugal-secondary digital innovation for rural regions’ development: insights from China. (Journal of Rural Studies) with Rhiannon Pugh and Xiaobo Wu. 

Books & Book Chapters
Books: 

• Co-editor ‘Informal Sector Innovations: Insights from the Global South’, Published by Routledge, Taylor and Francis, Oxford UK in 2015 with Professors from the Technology and Management Centre for Development (TMCD), University of Oxford, University of Malaya and Jawaharlal Nehru University.  

• Edited UNSUNG INNOVATORS OF KASHMIR
Published by Gulshan Books, Srinagar (2011); ISBN: 978-81-8339-12 

Book Chapters

• Sheikh, F.A. (2021). Grassroots innovation: mainstreaming the discourse of informal sector (pp. 212–232) with Kumar H.. In Godin et al (2021) Handbook on Alternative Theories of Innovation, Edward Elgar Publishing. 

• Sheikh, F.A. (2023 forthcoming). Frugality in innovation processes: A heuristics based perspective from the ‘informal’ economy (with Saradindu Bhaduri, Ariane Agnes Corradi, Hemant Kumar). In Leliveld. A., et al., (Ed.) Handbook on Frugal Innovation, Edgar Elgar Publishing. 

Monographs 

• Sheikh F., A, XIAOBO WU, The Bright Side of Pandemics and the Role of Low Cost Innovations | For SOM, Zhejiang University, PR China | May, 2021 

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIES ON INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

• 2017, Attended two weeks STEPS Summer School 2017 at the University of Sussex, London and Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, England. 

• 2014, Attended Globelics Academy Alumni Meeting on Innovations in Tampere, Finland. 2013.

• 2013, Attended twelve days Globelics Academy: International PhD School on Innovation and Economic Development held in Tampere, Finland. 

• 2012, Attended twelve days Africalics (The African Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems), the Africalics PhD Academy in Innovation and Developments in Africa in Nairobi-Kenya. 

• 2012, Attended twelve days Globelics Academy: International PhD-School on Innovation and Economic Development at Brazilian Development Bank - BNDES, Rio de Janerio, Brazil. 

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INVITED TALKS 

• Delivered a talk on Alternative Innovation Models at the 2nd Science Summit of United Nations General Assembly, on 22nd of September, 2021, New York. 

• Delivered a special talk on Frugal Innovations and Coviid-19, on 2nd February, 2022 for Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. 

• Delivered a key note on Universities and Innovations in Kashmir' at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST) on 6th of January, 2022. 

• Delivered a talk on Frugal Digital Detours: Insights from China on 30th of March, 2022 for Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

• Delivered a key note on Alternative Innovation Models: Insights from the Global South on 17th of December 2021 for Nova University, FCSH , Lisbon, Portugal. 

• Delivered a key note on Innovation and Development for State Council of Educational Research & Training (SCERT), Kashmir on 14th of December 2021. 

• Shared a session on 'Organizational Resilience and Sustainable Development’ in the 17th International Symposium on 'Rethinking Global Manufacturing: Resilience, Digitalization and Innovation’ on 11-09-2021 jointly organized by NIIM, Zhejiang University and University of Cambridge. 

• Delivered a guest lecture on 17-07-2021 titled Bricoler Innovators and Covid-19: Gleaning Insights from Indian Innovation System at WITS Business School, Johannesburg, South Africa. 

• Moderated a special public talk titled Economics of Hope: Revisiting the Theory of Innovation System for a Post-Pandemic World with two finest experts on innovation and development Prof. Bengt-Åke Lundvall and Prof. Xiaobo Wu on 21st of September 2021. 

• Delivered a lecture on Social Innovation and Change organized by Cluster Innovation Centre, University of Delhi ( Feb 12, 2021). 

• Delivered a lecture on Industry Academia and Innovations organized by Mahaveer college and Department of Higher Education MP in collaboration with the World Bank (Jan 18, 2021). 

• Delivered a lecture on Innovation, Intellectual Property Rights and Economic Development organized by IIEDC NIT Srinagar, NRDC and United nations - WIPO (Jan 30, 2021). 

• Delivered a lecture on Revisiting Economic Development in a guest lecture series organized by 2020 IEEE Innovation Nation Bosnia & Herzegovina (Oct 21, 2020). 

• Delivered a lecture on IPR, Startups & Entrepreneurship at School of engineering and technology Central University of Kashmir (Dec 7-18, 2020). 

• Delivered an extension lecture on Knowledge Spillovers, Innovation and Regional Development organized by DD Kaushal Kendra University of Kashmir (Nov 28, 2020). 

• Delivered an introductory lecture on M.Sc. (Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) course launch at NIT Srinagar (Sep 9, 2020). 

• Invited as discussant in lecture series on Frugality, Informality and Resilience Towards a Good Enough Innovation System by Indialics (Nov 28, 2020). 

• Delivered a talk on Entrepreneurship and Development at Centre for planning and counseling University of Kashmir (Sep 28, 2020). 

• Delivered a guest lecture on Frugal Secondary Innovation Detours: Mapping the role of low cost innovation in covid-19 at WITS Business School, Johannesburg (June 21, 2020). 

• Invited as panelist on Innovating for Social Impact organized in collaboration with The Future Leadership Network, South Africa (July 17, 2020). 

• Joined as a Chief Discussant with Prof. Mark Zachary Taylor author of The Politics of Innovation to a public lecture organized by IIEDC NIT Srinagar (Jan 12, 2021). 

Research Grants

• 2017-18: As Principal Investigator completed a project titled: ‘Harnessing the Development Potential of Blending Informal Economy with Science, Technology and Innovations” funded by State Council for Science and Technology, Department of Science & Technology, Jammu and Kashmir.

  
  

Research Interests

Alternative Innovation Models 

Regional Development

History of Innovation 

Frugal and Digital Innovations 

China Innovation  

Teaching Courses

Innovation and Developmnet 

Alternative Innovation Models 

Regional Developmnet 

China Innovation 

The Belt and Road Innovation Models 

Awards & Honors

Awarded Adjunct Faculty Position (Innovation Studies), by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-K), Kashmir-India 

Awarded the third National-level prize by the National Innovation Foundation on 18 Nov 2009 at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, for researching and highlighting the unparalleled contributions of informal sector innovators from Jammu and Kashmir. President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, was the Chief Guest (first prize went to Discovery Channel and second to The Hindu, India’s national English daily) 

Was awarded Talented Young Scientist Program (TYSP) fellowship an international mobility scheme funded by the Chinese government to work as an Innovation Policy Research Assistant at the University of Chinese Academy of Science for a year, Beijing in 2017 (Could not join because of some other research engagements)

Conceptualized a full-fledged M.Sc. programme on ‘Technology, Innovations and Entrepreneurial Dynamics’ for National Institute of Technology-Srinagar, Kashmir., As a course consultant, I initially helped curate the course content, methodology, and sample cases. In 2019, the course was approved by MHRD-Government of India. This is the first of its kind two years M.Sc. programme dedicated to innovations and technology dynamics in NIT settings in India.