Karnataka delegation to visit UK for 3 days from Nov 24 to attract investments

Bengaluru, Nov 20 (PTI) Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil on Thursday said that he will visit London with a high-level delegation from November 24 to 26 to attract investments from leading UK-based companies.

He held discussions with Seema Malhotra, the UK Minister for Commonwealth Affairs and Development, and Linda Cameron, the British High Commissioner to India, who met him here.

Patil noted that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between India and the United Kingdom earlier this year has created a favourable environment for investment.

During his London visit, the delegation will meet the heads of major companies such as Element-6, ARM, Linde, Martin-Baker, Fido AI, Oxford Space Systems, Green Jets, Nanopore Tech, Group Rhodes, The Senator Group, The Latos Group, Samco Holdings and others, he was quoted as saying by his office in a release.

Karnataka aims to strengthen economic ties by encouraging UK companies to invest in the State, the minister said, key focus sectors include higher education, technology exchange, high-tech manufacturing, aerospace, defence, electric vehicles, clean energy, and research-driven industries.

As part of this effort, the delegation will participate in a meeting organised by the UK-India Business Council on November 25, he added.

Officials from the UK informed the minister that The King's School, Canterbury--one of Britain's oldest educational institutions--will open its Bengaluru campus from the 2026 academic year. Similarly, RGS Guildford, which has partnered with the Mumbai-based Ryan Educational Group, will start its campus in Bengaluru from 2028. Both institutions will follow the 12-year British curriculum.

Patil said that it is heartening that the University of Liverpool has already opened its campus in Bengaluru, and expressed confidence that many more universities will set up their presence in Karnataka in the coming years. PTI KSU ADB