A high-level delegation from the Republic of Chile, led by H.E. Mr. Francisco Pérez Mackenna, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Karnataka’s Minister for Electronics, IT & Biotechnology and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Shri Priyank Kharge, at Vidhana Soudha today to explore avenues for collaboration across emerging technologies, clean energy, and startup ecosystems.
The visit to Bengaluru, as part of the delegation’s India engagements, underscores Karnataka’s growing prominence as a preferred partner for global collaborations in technology, innovation, and startup ecosystems.
The delegation included Ms. Paula Estévez Weinstein, Vice-Minister of Commerce (SUBREI); H.E. Mr. Juan Angulo, Ambassador of Chile to India; Mr. Felipe Lopeandía, Chief Negotiator for the India–Chile CEPA; along with senior government and industry representatives.
Dr. N. Manjula, IAS, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, BT and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, and Mr. Rahul Sharanappa Sankanur, Director, Department of Electronics, IT & BT and Managing Director, KITS, were also present, along with other senior officials.
The discussions reflected a strong alignment between Chile’s evolving technology-focused growth strategy and Karnataka’s established leadership in innovation and deep-tech ecosystems. Both sides explored opportunities to build partnerships that move beyond traditional sectors and focus on innovation-led growth, talent exchange, and market access.
This engagement builds on the Letter of Intent (LoI) signed between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of Chile during the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which established a framework for collaboration across startups, emerging technologies, research, and skill development under the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA).
Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for Electronics, IT & Biotechnology and RDPR, Government of Karnataka, said “Karnataka today is a global hub for deep-tech, AI, biotech, aerospace, and advanced research, backed by one of the strongest talent pipelines in the world. As partners under the Global Innovation Alliance, we must move beyond agreements on paper to actionable collaboration. 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.”
H.E. Mr. Francisco Pérez Mackenna, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Chile, said “Chile is actively advancing its transition towards 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. We see strong potential to work together across sectors such as clean energy, digital technologies, and emerging industries, while also strengthening Chile’s role as a bridge between India and Latin America.”
Key Highlights of the Meeting
– Strengthening Innovation Partnership: Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in emerging technologies, startups, and research.
– Startup Gateway to Latin America: Chile positioned itself as a strategic gateway for Karnataka-based startups to access Latin American markets.
– Clean Energy Collaboration: Discussions focused on opportunities in renewable energy, including green hydrogen and sustainable industrial innovation.
– New-Age Sectors Identified: Potential collaboration areas include marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and AI applications across traditional industries.
– From MoU to Implementation: Emphasis on moving beyond agreements to actionable partnerships, including startup exchanges and market access programmes.
– GIA Framework Expansion: Both sides explored strengthening engagement under the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) through structured programmes and ecosystem linkages.
– Karnataka’s Global Positioning: The visit highlighted Bengaluru’s emergence as a key global hub for technology and innovation, attracting direct engagement from international leadership looking to build sub-national partnerships.
The engagement marks an important step in advancing India–Chile collaboration at the sub-national level, with Karnataka and Chile aligning on a forward-looking partnership anchored in innovation, sustainability, and global growth.
Following the meeting, the Chilean delegation also visited the C-CAMP to gain insights into Karnataka’s biotechnology innovation ecosystem and its role in supporting startups, research, and translational science.