The Karnataka government on Friday said that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Business France India, the French trade commission, to promote startups in both countries.
According to a press statement, the trade commission will run five programmes under the French Tech umbrella to provide cross-learning opportunities to start-ups through mutual participation. While it will assist selected French start-ups to come to India and have an immersive experience, Indian companies will get help in scaling up their operations through training programmes in France.
The partnership will also see the establishment of the first French Tech Hub – a community of French startups, investors, designers, engineers, institutes and firms – in Bengaluru with international collaborations on research and development. The state government will promote the French accelerators and incubators coming to Karnataka.
“Bengaluru has been the innovation and start-up hub of the country, and has proven to be a preferred location for start-ups. We intend to provide best-in-class exposure to our startups for cross learning, incubation and partnerships. In this regard, the partnership with Business France India will enable Karnataka startups to leverage the inherent strength of France in education and R&D. The French Tech Hub in Bengaluru will provide a single-point access to innovations in France,” said Priyank Kharge, ITBT and tourism minister, Karnataka.
Business France is the national agency supporting international development of the French economy. Its three key responsibilities are to support French or foreign companies with their international development, facilitate job-creating foreign investments in France and promote France’s attractiveness to business.