Karnataka to deepen collaboration with UK across AI, innovation, & skilling: Kharge

Karnataka will deepen partnerships with the United Kingdom (UK) across AI, innovation, and skilling through its outreach programme, the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA), the state’s IT/BT minister Priyank Kharge said on Monday.

The minister made the announcement ahead of his meeting with UK minister for AI and online safety Kanishka Narayan. The two ministers held wide-ranging discussions on digital public infrastructure, data governance, skilling, startup ecosystems, cross-border innovation partnerships, AI, and online safety, a statement released by the IT/BT ministry said.

"Bengaluru is the beating heart of India's technology ecosystem, and that is why I am here to meet the minister and explore deeper collaboration with Karnataka," said Narayan, commenting on the collaboration. "As we build AI ecosystems, we must ensure they are responsible, safe, and aligned with these values."


He added that the UK is investing in compute infrastructure, sovereign capabilities across the AI stack, and driving adoption across public services and industry. "Deeper collaboration with Karnataka can help shape globally relevant, trusted AI systems," he said.

The collaboration comes as India and the UK prepare to implement their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed last July, which is expected to come into effect this April.

In the meeting, Kharge showcased the state's leadership in AI and deeptech innovation, underlining Bengaluru's role as a global technology capital.

"Karnataka is building the next phase of its technology leadership around deeptech, applied research, and future-ready innovation. Our vision is to create a strong innovation-led economy that accelerates learning, strengthens governance, and empowers startups to build for India and the world," Kharge said.

The minister added that through focussed policies, infrastructure, and partnerships, the state will remain deeply integrated with global technology value chains and continue to be a preferred destination for innovation, investment, and talent.

The GIA has supported over 2,000 startups and facilitated more than 60 international partnerships and MoUs across more than 30 countries, the statement said.

During the interaction, Kharge proposed the creation of a formal Karnataka-UK innovation bridge for startups to deepen ecosystem linkages between the two regions.

The collaboration will include coworking and incubation spaces for UK and Karnataka startups, bilateral startup exchange programs, collaboration between centres of excellence (CoE) in priority AI sectors, and accelerated market support for startups in both ecosystems, the statement added.

"We envision a formal innovation bridge between Karnataka and the UK as part of a broader global innovation network, where startups, researchers, and enterprises from both sides can collaborate, access markets, and scale globally. A strong base in either Bengaluru or London can serve as a powerful launchpad for international growth," Kharge said.