Australia to boost Karnataka partnership in education, tech, says BCIC

Bengaluru: Australia is set to significantly deepen its engagement with Karnataka, positioning the state as a strategic hub for bilateral collaboration across education, technology and business, said Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) in a statement.

The statement came during a discussion on free trade between India and Australia under the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) at a BCIC event in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, Vik Singh, trade and investment commissioner at the Australian trade and investment commission, highlighted the growing momentum in Australia-India ties, with Karnataka playing a central role in this expanding partnership.


The partnership will focus primarily on key sectors such as education and technology, the statement said.

This comes as a leading Australian university, The University of New South Wales (UNSW), plans to open a campus in Bengaluru's Manyata Tech Park in August this year. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the state and the university was signed earlier this month.

"As one of the world's leading universities, UNSW's decision to establish a presence in Bengaluru reflects the confidence Australian institutions have in Karnataka's talent ecosystem and innovation potential," Singh said. "This campus will play a key role in strengthening academic collaboration, research partnerships and technology exchange between Australia and India."

He added that the state has emerged as one of Australia's most important partners in India. "This is reflected not only in growing trade and investment flows, but also in Australia's decision to establish one of its largest consular presences in India here in Karnataka, second only to the High Commission in New Delhi,"he said.

The event also highlighted the India-Australia ECTA, signed in 2022, which aims to improve trade between both nations.

"With 100 per cent of Australian tariff lines moving to zero duty from January 1, 2026, new opportunities will open across key sectors such as textiles, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, and agriculture, accelerating MSME-led growth, boosting employment and broadening India's export reach," said K Ravi, senior vice president, BCIC.

The strengthening relationship is further underscored by the launch of a direct Sydney-Bengaluru flight by Australian airline Qantas, the statement said.

Singh added that clean energy, education and skills development, agribusiness, and food processing will be among the sectors that benefit from the partnership.

Overall, the services sector, particularly IT, professional services and education, will emerge as the most significant long-term beneficiary of this partnership, the statement said.