Government of Karnataka Announces State Policy for Engineering, Research and Development in Collaboration with NASSCOM

The Department of IT & BT, Government of Karnataka in collaboration with the National Association for Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) announced the Karnataka State policy for Engineering, Research and Development (ER&D). The policy was approved by the Karnataka cabinet. The first-of-its-kind policy intends to foster innovation & ecosystem, enhance MNC ER&D penetration in the state, enable the skill development required to address the critical and evolving needs of changing global technology landscape and evangelize “ER&D Prowess” to the world.

Speaking on the policy launch, Dr Ashwathnarayan CN, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka said: “The new policies are focused on invigorating the R&D landscape in the state and enhancing its global competitiveness. We expect the new policies to improve the FDI inflows in R&D and provide a boost to the innovation & research ecosystem.”

NASSCOM has supported the government in formulating the policy initiatives which will propel the R&D in Karnataka on an accelerated growth trajectory.

Expressing her views on the policies, Debjani Ghosh, president, NASSCOM, said: “NASSCOM is proud to be associated with this high impact policy initiative focusing on fostering Engineering and R&D in Karnataka. We strongly believe that the new policies will provide a big impetus to the growth of ER&D ecosystem within the state. The state of Karnataka has been the pioneer in creating a thriving ecosystem for R&D and these policies will further strengthen its position as the prime destination for Engineering and Research within the country. The new policy initiatives will provide a benchmark for other states to follow and would help India become a global hub for Research and Development.”

The government has designated a budget to drive the policy initiatives. Some of the proposed grants as a part of the policy include:

• Enhance MNC R&D penetration by providing subsidies to global organizations looking to establish new R&D facilities or expand existing R&D facilities in the state.
• Foster innovation and R&D ecosystem by funding commercial innovation & research programs in emerging technologies, establishing world-class R&D infrastructure (Testing & prototyping) to broaden portfolio of R&D services, assisting establishment of open innovation labs for corporate-startup collaboration and facilitating digital Innovation with Govt. Entities to support Industry by allowing “field trial” on govt. infrastructure.
• Expand depth and scale of advanced R&D skillsets within the state through sponsorships for industry supported research in academia, fellowship programs, student internships and certifications in emerging skills in R&D.

Commenting on the policies, Dr. EV Ramana Reddy, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of IT & BT, Urban Development, said: “The new policies were drafted with a well-defined focus on stimulating the R&D industry within the state and creating an environment which encourages innovation. We are confident that with these new policies, Karnataka can establish itself as a global R&D hub and deliver an exponential growth in foreign investments in R&D.”

These policies would catalyze state government’s ambition of developing Karnataka as the leading Global Digital Engineering R&D destination. Speaking on the policy Dr.  Ajay Prabhu, President, QuEST Global & Chair for NASSCOM Engineering, R&D Council, said “ER&D Policy is a giant step by GoK to make Karnataka a leader in Engineering R&D in this part of the world. Kudos to GoK & NASSCOM for conceptualizing this progressive best-of-its-kind policy”