• GIA Meet invites global participation in Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026
• Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026 to be held at BIEC from 17-19 November, 2026
• 75+ countries expected to participate
• Partner countries invited to host pavilions, conference sessions & other activities
• The New GIA Engagement framework & GIGA Initiative announced to make international collaboration more structured, reciprocal and outcome-oriented.

Bengaluru: The Department of E, IT, Bt, Government of Karnataka, under its Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) initiative, hosted the GIA Meet today at Hotel Four Seasons, to promote the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026 (BTS 2026) to its partner countries & international trade mission representatives. The Meet held in Bengaluru, was graced by Shri Priyank Kharge, Minister for Home, IT & Bt and e-Governance, Govt. of Karnataka; Dr. Manjula N, IAS, Chairperson, BWSSB, Secretary to Government, Dept. of Electronics, IT, Bt and S&T, Govt. of Karnataka,  Dr. Avinash Menon Rajendran, IAS, Managing Director- KITS & KEONICS, Director- Dept of E, IT, Bt and S&T, Govt. of Karnataka; and Dr. E. V. Ramana Reddy, IAS (Retd.), Chairman, Karnataka Skill Development Authority; and Jagdish Patankar, Event Curator, BTS 2026 and Executive Chairman, MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications. Global Collaboration partners from Sweden, Italy, Australia, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, USA, Vietnam, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Israel, France, South Korea, Spain, Japan, Canada, Germany, Tunisia, Czech Republic, New Zealand and other International Agencies were also present on this occasion.

The Global Innovation Alliance (GIA), an initiative of the Department of Electronics, IT, and Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka, fosters partnerships with leading tech and innovation nations. Launched in 2017 under the Karnataka Unit for International Co-operation (KUIC), the GIA network has expanded from 10 countries in 2018 to over 40 nations by 2026.

The GIA Meet was convened to further strengthen cross-border collaboration in the lead-up to the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026, scheduled to take place from 17–19 November at BIEC, Bengaluru. Dr. Manjula N, IAS shared an insightful overview of the Summit, highlighting the unique opportunities it offers for partner countries to showcase their cutting-edge technologies, government initiatives, leading industry players and academic excellence on a global stage through participation in the international exhibition, conference and country delegations. She also presented the various outreach activities under the GIA Initiative.

The New GIA Engagement Framework & GIGA Initiative:

To support the next phase of this growth, the Government of Karnataka is introducing a new GIA Engagement Framework for partner countries, aimed at making international collaboration more structured, reciprocal and outcome-oriented. The framework organizes engagement across four tracks — Global Startup Mobility and Market Access; International Institutional Partnerships; Global Visibility and Strategic Engagements; and Governance through a dedicated International Desk.

As part of this next phase, the State is also developing GIGA – the Global Innovation and Growth Alliance, a dedicated physical infrastructure in Bengaluru for international innovation engagement. GIGA is envisaged as a permanent landing and collaboration space for partner-country startups, innovation agencies, delegations and institutions, offering workspace, meeting and programme facilities, while connecting them with Karnataka’s Centres of Excellence, incubators, universities, industry, investors and startup ecosystem. The objective is to create a tangible gateway through which international partners can establish a presence, engage with the ecosystem, explore market opportunities and build sustained collaborations in Karnataka.