New Zealand delegation explores deeper innovation and skills collaboration with Karnataka

A delegation from New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem, participating in the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia (PMSA) programme, met with Priyank Kharge, Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology, and officials to explore opportunities for collaboration across technology, education, research, skilling, and emerging sectors.

Discussions focused on strengthening people-to-people connections and building long-term institutional linkages between Karnataka and New Zealand, said a release.

Deepening partnerships

PMSA is a New Zealand Government–funded initiative administered by Education New Zealand (ENZ), aimed at deepening partnerships across Asia while building global capabilities in innovation, education, and leadership. The visiting delegation comprised representatives from New Zealand’s research, technology, education, and innovation ecosystem.

During the meeting, Mr. Kharge highlighted Karnataka’s position as India’s fourth-largest technology cluster and a leading hub for R&D, innovation, startups, and Global Capability Centres (GCCs). He underscored the State’s strong talent pipeline, supported by over 250 engineering colleges and a vast network of higher education and research institutions.

Emphasis was placed on creating skills and market-access corridors that enable startups, researchers, and enterprises from both regions to scale solutions across global markets. The Minister also spoke about Karnataka’s “DeepTech Decade” roadmap, outlining opportunities for collaboration across artificial intelligence, aerospace, climate and sensor technologies, agritech, marine biotechnology, and other emerging digital and frontier technology sectors.

Potential collaborations

The Minister suggested that the delegation engage closely with the Department of IT & BT through Karnataka’s Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) platform. The New Zealand delegation expressed interest in working with the Department to identify priority areas of collaboration and constitute a joint working group to advance discussions, the release said.

Both sides indicated that a formal collaboration framework, including the possibility of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), is being explored.