Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan who also holds the charge of Information Technology, Biotechnology, Science and Technology, said that the state was going all out to foster start-ups. Explaining how their government is working to ease the process to establish start-ups, he said, "The start-ups that have come up in Bengaluru had placed their demands with the government to set up a government body that can look into the legal hurdles. Hence we are setting up The Karnataka Innovation Authority to clear legal hurdles for start-ups. The state government also intends to implement post-approval process, where start-ups can take approvals for three years after setting up."
Narayan and his team are planning to form talent accelerators for engineering graduates. He added, Talent accelerators existed earlier also but they were not relevant for students in terms of reskilling or upskilling. The upcoming talent accelerator will help students upskill themselves at the level of institution and be industry-ready."
Speaking ahead of of the Bengaluru Tech Summit which starts on November 18 and will go on for three days, he said, "There will be pavilions for all sectors in specific areas with prominent companies participating in panel discussions. They will share their advancements in the fields of IT and BT. Ministers and diplomats from 25 countries will attend the event, along with 3500 delegates, 12,000 visitors and 200 exhibhition stalls showcasing technology from around the globe. It will help networking among stakeholders." A Robotics competition, Impact Awards for 9 unicorns from Bengaluru and Smart Bio Awards are the new additions to the summit this year.
Other plans on the list
Narayan emphasised that Information Technology, Biotechnology, Science and Technology department was planning to set up a Karnataka Technology Development Board to push indigenously developed technologies for entrepreneurs. "Just as we have Karnataka Innovation Authority and Vision Group for Start-ups, we are also coming up with a plan to set up a Technology Development Board for Global In house Centres (GICs) and Research and Development centres," adding that more than 50 per cent of the companies have R&D centres in Bengaluru.
The Technology Development Board concept is at a nascent stage and aims to provide support to IT, BT and ITES companies for investment promotion, facilitating interaction with government agencies and more. As of now Google, Shell, Huawei, Intel, Samsung, GE, Airbus, NetApp, Tesco, Qualcomm, SAP, ABB Switzerland, Mercedez Benz, Nvidia, Alcatel, Astra Zeneca, Phillips, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, Texas Instruments, Volvo, Adobe, Cisco, Walmart, Honeywell, Accenture are some of the GICs in Bengaluru which are doing research and development.
