Karnataka, New Zealand explore tech, research ties under PMSA programme

Bengaluru, Jan 14 (PTI) A delegation from New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem met Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday to explore collaboration under the PMSA programme.

The interaction focused on strengthening people-to-people ties and building long-term institutional linkages between Karnataka and New Zealand, the state IT-BT minister said in a statement.

Kharge said the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia is a New Zealand government-funded programme aimed at deepening partnerships and building global capabilities in innovation, education and leadership.

The delegation included representatives from New Zealand’s research, technology, education, and innovation sectors.

During the meeting, Kharge highlighted Karnataka’s position as India’s fourth-largest technology cluster and a leading hub for research and development, innovation and Global Capability Centres (GCCs).

He also referred to the state’s strong talent base, with more than 250 engineering colleges and a large network of higher education and research institutions, making it a natural destination for academic and industry collaboration.

The minister stressed the need to create skill and market-access corridors to enable startups, researchers and companies from both regions to scale solutions across markets.

He outlined Karnataka’s ‘DeepTech Decade’ roadmap and suggested collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, climate and sensor technologies, agritech and marine biotechnology.

Kharge suggested that the delegation work closely with the department through its Global Innovation Alliance platform to enable sustained engagement with startups, academia, industry and government bodies.

The delegation expressed interest in identifying priority areas of collaboration and forming a working group to take them forward. Both sides are exploring a formal collaboration framework, including a memorandum of understanding, the statement said. PTI GMS SSK