The 24th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) with the theme "Driving the Next" is expected to have a larger international footprint than the last, with more than 30 countries confirming their participation in the hybrid (online and offline ) event this year.
The three-day event will kick off on November 17 and end on November 19. South Africa will be participating in BTS for the first time, and there will also be a large delegation from both European Union and Commonwealth nations.
The summit will be inaugurated by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The BTS is expected to witness the participation of over 300 speakers, 5,000 startup attendees, over 300 exhibitors, and more than 20,000 business attendees. The summit will have an overall digital reach to half a million technology enthusiasts with over 75 conference sessions. The summit will also feature multi-track exhibitions, panel discussions, bio partnering, poster sessions, national and global alliances, and quiz programs.
A platform called Global Innovation Alliance had been launched in 2017 to tap the potential and growth of technology and innovation across the globe and also to showcase Karnataka's strengths as a global technology hub. The platform has grown over the years with mutual projects being implemented with countries such as Australia, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, the UK and others. A dedicated track for Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) sessions has been created at the Bengaluru Tech Summit for facilitating international partnerships wherein countries will host technology sessions for ecosystem connections, exchange of ideas and people, and deliberations on the policy environment.
Some of the sessions include “Deepening India - Australia ties in technology and innovation” by Australia, “Healthcare and Medical Technology” by Germany, “Digital Health in Finland: Developing AI and VR tools to support the growth of health technology businesses” by Finland besides others.
PM Morrison will lead Australia’s delegation to the BTS, which will be held at the same time as Australia’s global tech conference–The Sydney Dialogue-with several crossover sessions also being planned at the same time. Several international technology experts from across industry verticals are expected to be part of panel discussions and other sessions, including Martin Schroeter (CEO, Kyndryl), Prof. Klaus Schwab (founder and chairman, World Economic Forum), Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee (Indian-American physician, scientist and writer), Priya Balasubramaniam (Vice President, Operations Apple Inc), Anant Maheshwari (President, Microsoft India), Gaven Standon (Executive Partner Ecosystem, Telstra) and Gil Shwed, (Founder and CEO, Checkpoint).
GIA partner countries will also be sending minister-level delegations from GIA partner countries. Stuart Ayers, New South Wales Minister, Department of Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Prof. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy, State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Timo Harakka, Minister of Transport and Communications, Government of Finland, Nguyen Quan, Former Minister of Science and Technology of Vietnam will address the summit.
“With the theme, 'Driving the Next' this year, BTS highlights how technology, innovation and collaboration can shape the post-pandemic world. Multilateral collaboration between countries can significantly catalyse development. Through the Global Innovation Alliance program, we have created a platform for all our GIA country partners and industry stakeholders to come together and collaborate and promote innovation. Karnataka has expanded the State's innovation ecosystem beyond Bengaluru, and we would like to encourage and welcome all GIA partners to explore other cities in the State,” said Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister for IT, BT and S&T, Karnataka.
