4 more MoUs in pipeline, mainly in aerospace: Karnataka deputy CM at tech summit

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan on Saturday announced that four more Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed between the state government and Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) partner countries, including the US, majorly in the aerospace sector.

The announcement comes a day after Karnataka government signed eight MoUs with various countries, including the US and the UK, at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 that concluded on Saturday.

"This summit has witnessed eight MoUs with our partner countries and four more are in the pipeline, out of which two will be signed with the USA in the aerospace sector. We are expecting exchange of ideas in this sector between India and our GIA partner countries, which may translate into investments in future," he said at the valedictory function of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 on Saturday.

Narayan added Bengaluru has always taken charge to lead the transformation of India with innovation, science and technology.

"The theme of this year's summit was 'Next is Now', building on the success of our event last year. Innovation, especially in leveraging disruptive technologies, is the need of the hour. Through the sessions, panels, presentations, knowledge cafe, etc., we have created a larger platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

"This year, it was a matter of great privilege to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate the summit. The Prime Minister's presence and inspiring words gave us all the energy over the last three days. We were honoured by the virtual presence of Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, and Swiss Confederation Vice-President Guy Parmelin," he said.

He further said that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for rapid innovation, synergies between biotechnology and information technology and global cooperation.

"BTS 2020 is the ideal platform for achieving these aims. Our government is committed to ensuring that these technologies and innovations are made in Karnataka for the world, in collaboration with leading minds, to alleviate the life of the common man," said Narayan.

He added the BTS 2021 will also be held in November. "The next BTS will be conducted physically and virtually for extending its global reach," he said.

The 23rd edition of the summit was conducted under the guidance of the chairmen and members of the three vision groups on IT, biotech and start-ups. For the first time, an international advisory group was also formed to ensure a global perspective, while designing the conference.

The summit had leading innovators, scientists and tech evangelists participating from all across the globe. As part of the GIA track, there were 16 sessions by international partners - Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Lithua, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and Taiwan.

( With inputs from ANI )