Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 25th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022, at a glittering ceremony in the presence of a galaxy of leaders from the IT, BT and start-up sectors. The event was organized by The Department of Electronics, IT, Bt, S&T, Government of Karnataka along with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), and is the first full-fledged on ground version of BTS post the pandemic. The central theme of BTS this year is ‘Tech4NexGen’ and will focus on Electronics, IT, Deep Tech, Biotech, and Startups.
The inaugural ceremony was graced by the Guests of Honor H.E Mr. Petri Honkonen, Minister of Science & Culture, Finland, H.E. Mr. Omar Bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy & Remote Work Applications, United Arab Emirates, H.E. Mr. Tim Watts, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia. The ceremony was presided over by Shri Basavaraj S. Bommai, Chief Minister of Karnataka.
In his inaugural address, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi praised IT professionals from Bengaluru for creating innovative technology products that helped the country navigate the tough times during the Covid-19 pandemic when all other countries were struggling. The Prime Minister gave the example of Ayushman Bharat, one of the world’s largest insurance programs that was implemented seamlessly because of the efforts of India’s technology professionals.
Karnataka to develop six new knowledge cities and a Startup Park
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Basavaraj S. Bommai, Chief Minister of Karnataka announced the setting up of six new cities in Karnataka to promote the growth of the knowledge and technology sectors in the state. These new cities will be developed in Kalaburagi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Mysuru and Bengaluru. These cities will be well planned, high-tech and help promote IT, BT and startups. A dedicated Startup Park will be developed near the Bengaluru international airport which will be multi-modal and help promote various spheres of the startup eco-system, he said adding that the state needs to do much more for the growth of the startup industry. He had also announced that Knowledge and Technology City will be created near Bengaluru International Airport.
He further added that the government will begin work on developing these cities within the next six months. The chief minister, Shri. Bommai also called upon the leaders of the scientific world to innovate for the betterment of the human race and develop technologies to create a new healthy human being and better future for all.
Distinguished guests at the inaugural ceremony included Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Hon’ble Minister for Electronics, IT, Bt and S&T, Higher Education; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, Government of Karnataka, Dr. Murugesh R. Nirani, Hon’ble Minister for Large & Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka, Shri. Siddaramaiah, Hon’ble Leader of Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Shri. B.K. Hariprasad, Hon’ble Leader of Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Council, Mr. Martin Schroeter, Chairman & CEO, Kyndryl, Shri. Naveen Tewari, Founder & CEO, Inmobi, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, Vision Group on Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka, Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairperson, Vision Group on Information Technology, Government of Karnataka and Shri. Prashanth Prakash, Chairperson, Vision Group on Startups, Government of Karnataka.
Unique distinction of having first and 100th unicorns
Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan said the government of Karnataka has been enabling the right kind of learning and education in a big way to promote the growth of the knowledge sectors. The state government has set a target of achieving $300 billion digital economy by 2025, the share of bio technology will be $36 billion. The minister lauded the startup industry in Karnataka for achieving distinction of the first and the 100th unicorns in the country.
Also present at the event were Dr E. V. Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Dept. of Electronics, IT, Bt and S&T, Government of Karnataka; and Smt. Meena Nagaraj C.N., Director, Dept. of Electronics, IT & Bt, and Managing Director, KITS, Government of Karnataka, and Shri Arvind Kumar, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India.
The 25th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit is today a testament of Karnataka’s commitment to innovation and technology, supported by nimble policies and initiatives aimed at making the state the innovation hub of India. This journey began back in the year 1998, when Bangalore IT.biz was the country’s first ever IT focused event hosted by a city. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This was followed by the Bangalore Bio Summit in 2001, dedicated to the Biotechnology industry. Both these flagship events put the State of Karnataka on the Global map, projecting the State’s potential and contribution to the respective sectors. In the year 2017, both these flagship events were merged as Bengaluru Tech Summit.
The 3 day BTS2022 event will witness the coming together of global tech leaders, Indian corporates and startups from IT, Deep tech and Biotech, showcasing disruptive technologies, forging partnerships and alliances.
Highlights of BTS2022
- The 25th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit will have participants from over 30+ Countries, 350+ Domain Experts in 70+ Sessions to be attended by 5000+ Delegates
- Grand showcase of over 400 start-ups, Lab2Market display of India’s premier R&D institutes
- BTS 2022 will witness India’s largest international tech exhibition with over 575 organisations participating which will see the confluence of IT & Biotech majors
- BTS 2022 will host India USA Tech Conclave 2.0, and the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA)
- BTS 2022 to organize Start-Up Pavilion that will have 330 exhibitors across diverse sectors
- 12 startup unicorns from Bengaluru who have flourished in the last one year to be recognized with the Bengaluru Impact Award
- Special events which include the IT Export Awards, Smart Bio Awards, Rural IT Quiz, Bio Quiz and Bio Posters
An annual highlight at the Summit is the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA), an initiative of Government of Karnataka’s Department of Electronics, IT, Bt and S&T with the objective of curating relationships in innovation, science and technology with various countries. This initiative has enabled the collaboration and deep engagements with 30+ partner countries, 18 GIA Tech Engagement Meets, 1,500+ Start-ups being engaged in projects, and 10+ academic institutions engaged across different projects.
India’s IT hub, the State of Karnataka is on a mission to promote faster and more inclusive growth across the IT and biotech sectors via dynamic policies and related initiatives. Some of the milestones include the Information Technology Policy 2020-25, establishment of K-Tech Innovation Hubs, the country’s first ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park), the Bengaluru Helix Biotechnology Park, and establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoE) to name a few.
Today, BTS 2022 is an important forum for dialogue amongst industry, startups, researchers, and policymakers to forge collaborations and alliances. This will also include Multi-Track Conferences on IT & Electronics, Deep Tech, Start-Ups & Biotech.
Overview of the conferences scheduled under each track for DAY 1:
ITE & DeepTech
- 4 sessions which covered the themes of Lead the Techade, Convergence of technological revolution, Accelerating trust and responsibility, and Building India’s power in the emerging tech.
- The sessions saw the participation of leaders and subject matter experts from Goldman Sachs, Mercedes Benz, Myelin Foundry, IBM India, Micron Technology, Bosch Global Software, and Intel Labs.
STARTUPS
- 4 sessions which covered the themes of: We define tomorrow, Venture capital’s long-term growth, Building robotics ecosystem, and the Future of Digital Publics Good.
- The sessions saw the participation of subject matter experts from IvyCap Ventures, 3one4 capital, Ideaspring Capital, Pi Ventures, India Quotient, UAVIO Labs Pvt Ltd, Volvo Group India, iSPIRIT foundation.
BIOTECH
- 4 sessions which include the themes of Leading the new normal, Genomics revolution 2.0 and its implications, Smart Supply Chains in Biopharma and Gene Editing and Agriculture.
- The session saw the participation of leaders and subject matter experts from Illumina, Strand Life Sciences, MedGenome Labs Ltd, C-Camp InDx, Ingram Micro, Anthem, and Agrigenome Labs.
GIA
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- Panels by 4 partner countries: France, Australia, Canada, and Finland.
- The sessions focused on data localization to digital upskilling, innovation gateway to the world, unleashing the 5G with Nokia and Australia – a great place for a tech business, investment, work and study.
Other highlights of the day include an expo and bio poster visit, followed by a Silver Jubilee function and felicitation of the top 35 companies from various sectors.
