The 27th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS 2024) was jointly organized by Karnataka’s Electronics, Information Technology (IT), and Biotechnology Department and the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) from 19th to 21st November 2024 at Bengaluru Palace, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- The central theme of BTS for 2024 event was ‘Unbound’.
About BTS 2024:
i.BTS 2024 was hosted by representatives from over 15 countries, and delegates from Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), France, Austria, the European Union (EU), Denmark, Finland, Poland, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, and the United States of America (USA) who shared their opinions.
ii.BTS 2024 witnessed the participation of over 2,500 startup attendees and conducted over 85 conference sessions which featured more than 450 diverse speakers.
iii.BTS 2024 held conferences on 6 key areas – IT, Deeptech and Trends, Biotech and Healthtech, Startup Ecosystem, Global Innovation Alliance, India-USA Tech Conclave, and the newly introduced Electro-Semicon track.
Karnataka unveils India’s 1st GCC Policy:
The Karnataka government launched its Global Capability Centres (GCC) policy becoming the first Indian state to initiate such policy. The GCC Policy 2024-2029 will aim to modify the state as a prime location for innovation and technological excellence.
- The policy aims to establish 500 new GCCs, creating 3.5 lakh jobs and generating USD 50 billion in economic output by 2029.
- It also aims to produce over 5,000 jobs in Bengaluru, with an additional 1,000 jobs expected in areas beyond the city.
i.The GCC policy will focus on a “Beyond Bengaluru” initiative to facilitate development in tier-2 and tier-3 cities such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, and Hubballi-Dharwad by providing incentives to companies setting up in these regions.
ii.Karnataka currently has over 875 Global Capability Centre (GCC) units and has approximately 35% of the country’s GCC workforce contributing to its economy.
Key highlights:
i.To develop a matchmaking platform for industry-academia collaboration.
ii.Providing 50% reimbursement of domestic patent filing fees, up to Rs. 2 lakhs
iii.A dedicated platform/ an operational help desk for GCCs to share their needs/ requirements/ pain points /ask questions, etc., will be developed.
iv.Fund to set up ‘GCC Immersive Hubs’ to demonstrate innovation and Research and Development (R&D) conducted in the State, on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Karnataka Launches Draft Space Tech Policy:
i.The Karnataka government the draft Karnataka Space Technology Policy, 2024-29 with the aim to make the state a global attraction for space technology.
ii.The policy proposes Karnataka to attain a 50% stake in the national market share and 5% of the global market share.
iii.The policy aims to train and upskill 5,000 students and young professionals, including 1,500 women, to meet the demands of domestic and international space companies and formulating incentives to attract investments worth USD 3 billion into the state’s space ecosystem.
- It intends to promote public-private partnership in creating testing facilities and manufacturing clusters and support 500 startups and MSMEs to launch over 50 satellites domestically.
- It also aims to set up dedicated manufacturing parks for space companies and testing centres in Karnataka
iv.As part of the initiative, the government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to promote cooperation, support for defence startups, and access to testing facilities.
ISRO to Help Automotive Industry Manufacture Sensors Indigenously
BTS 2024 witnessed the effort of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to collaborate the domestic automobile industry for manufacturing vehicle sensors indigenously.
- This will help India reduce its dependence on expensive imported sensors and utilise ISRO’s expertise in sensor technology.
- Its expertise and infrastructure will help the automotive sector to produce cost-effective, high-quality vehicle space-grade sensors domestically.
Karnataka signs MoUs for skill training in IT sector
i.The Karnataka government launched Nipuna Karnataka, to develop the skills of local talent to make them globally competitive in emerging technologies.
ii.Under the Nipuna initiative, five MoUs were exchanged with global tech giants—Microsoft, Intel, Accenture, IBM, and the Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) Consortium with an aim to train 1,00,000 trainees in 2025 with the placement of 70 % of the trained professionals.
- The collaboration with Microsoft will mentor over 10,000 trainees per year in emerging technology with a focus on deep tech.
- Intel will be training 20,000 trainees per year in Artificial Intelligence (AI) under various programs like AI for All, AI for Youth, and Unnati.
- Accenture would train 10,000 people in areas such as cybersecurity and quantum computing.
- IBM (International Business Machines) will provide training to 50,000 people on AI and cloud services, with a special focus on hands-on training to gain practical experience.
- The BFSI Consortium would train 10,000 people in the banking and financial sector, to ensure their placement in reputed companies working in the fintech sector.
iii. Startup Springboard program– a platform at BTS 2024 was also launched which has been designed to empower Karnataka’s startups through three pillars-
- Investor Connect (linking startups with key investors and industry leaders)
- Mentor Connect (guidance through mentor-mentee interactions)
- Innoverse (providing infrastructure, plug-and-play facilities, and training to support prototype development and innovation for emerging entrepreneurs).
iv.Moreover, a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on AI has will be established in Bengaluru to enhance cutting-edge research and development.
Karnataka gets 3 new global innovation districts
Karnataka is set to establish 3 dedicated global innovation districts in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Belagavi as part of its Global Capacity Centres (GCC) policy.
- These parks are established solely for GCCs to be established in the state.
50 startups launch sector-agnostic products, solutions
The Government of Karnataka launched 50 innovative products/solutions developed by startups on the 2nd day of BTS 2024. Out of the 50 startups, 23 were Women-led startups.
i.The innovative products/solutions developed were multi-disciplinary ranging from IT services, Agricultural Technology, Medical Technology, Health care, Clean Technology, AI, Deep Tech, Block chain, IoT (Internet of Things), Cybersecurity, SAAS (software as a service), R&D, Satellite communications (SATCOM) Technologies, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) and Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM).
- The products/ solutions include Electronic based devices using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT, Automotive Manufacturing, Avionics & Defence, Effluent Air Treatment, SaaS platform, Apps to prevent fraudulent transactions, Digital Theatre Platform, Smart Warehousing, satcom solutions and Deep Tech based platforms for Quality Assessment.
ii.These startups have been supported by Centre for Cellular And Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and with associations like National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) etc.
About Karnataka:
Chief minister – Siddaramaiah
Governor – Thawar Chand Gehlot
Wildlife Sanctuary– Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary; Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary
Tiger Reserve– BRT Tiger Reserve or Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Bandipur Tiger Reserve
