Bengaluru, Oct 20 Karnataka will develop joint innovation programmes, Centres of Excellence and pilot projects with York and North Yorkshire in the United Kingdom over the next three years, with a focus on sustainability, solid waste management and creating economic value from waste, state Home Minister Priyank Kharge said on Tuesday.
The Karnataka Global Innovation Alliance will provide a platform to advance the collaboration, with both sides aiming to achieve tangible and measurable outcomes through joint research, technology development and government-to-government partnerships, he said.
Speaking after a meeting with York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith, Kharge, who is also the Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology, stressed the need to identify institutions on both sides and swiftly initiate specific pilot projects in priority areas to translate the proposed cooperation into action.
Following the meeting, Karnataka’s Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the University of York in the UK to strengthen cooperation in innovation and research, the minister’s office said in a release.
The agreement will provide a framework for expanding collaboration in innovation, research, technology, entrepreneurship, startup market access, and partnerships between academic and industrial institutions.
The key areas of cooperation identified include the bioeconomy, clean technology, agricultural technology and digital technology.
York and North Yorkshire have expertise in the bioeconomy, industrial biotechnology, sustainable chemistry, agricultural innovation and clean technology. Karnataka, meanwhile, has a strong ecosystem in biotechnology, digital technology, startups and engineering talent. By combining the strengths of the two regions, the partnership could help translate research outcomes into practical solutions and commercial opportunities, Kharge said.
The meeting also explored potential cooperation in several other areas, including sustainability, water resource management, transport, security and policing.
In the next phase, a limited number of priority areas will be identified to develop the agreement into an action-oriented framework supporting joint pilot projects, research collaborations, startup linkages and technology commercialisation, the minister said.
(PTI News)
