Karnataka & Chile: Deep-Tech, Clean Energy Collaboration

Bengaluru, May 14 (PTI) Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge met a high-level delegation from Chile, led by Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday to discuss collaboration in emerging technologies, clean energy, and startup ecosystems, officials said.

The delegation's visit to Bengaluru, as part of its India engagements, underscores Karnataka's growing prominence as a preferred partner for global collaborations in technology, innovation, and startup ecosystems, officials added.

The discussions reflected strong alignment between Chile's evolving technology-focused growth strategy and Karnataka's established leadership in innovation and deep-tech ecosystems, according to a statement.

Both sides explored opportunities to build partnerships that move beyond traditional sectors and focus on innovation-led growth, talent exchange, and market access.

The meeting focused on opportunities in renewable energy, including green hydrogen and sustainable industrial innovation.

Other potential areas of collaboration included marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and AI applications across traditional industries.

According to the state IT minister, Karnataka is now a global hub for deep-tech, AI, biotech, aerospace, and advanced research, backed by one of the world's strongest talent pipelines.

"As partners under the global innovation alliance, we must move beyond agreements on paper to actionable collaboration," Kharge said.

"We are keen to work with Chile on startup exchanges, market access programmes, and building joint innovation corridors, including R&D centres, incubators, and accelerators. Chile's position as a gateway to Latin America presents a significant opportunity for our startups to scale globally," he added.

Officials said the engagement builds on the Letter of Intent signed between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of Chile during the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which established a framework for collaboration in startups, emerging technologies, research, and skill development under the Global Innovation Alliance.

Mackenna, Chile's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the country is actively advancing its transition toward a knowledge- and technology-driven economy.

"Our engagement with Karnataka reflects our interest in building strong innovation partnerships that enable technology exchange, talent collaboration, and access to dynamic startup ecosystems," he added.

"We see significant potential to work together in sectors such as clean energy, digital technologies, and emerging industries, while also strengthening Chile's role as a bridge between India and Latin America," he said.