Karnataka, Bavaria renew collaboration on several fronts

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government and the German state of Bavaria signed a joint declaration of intent on Tuesday to collaborate in key areas including artificial Intelligence (AI), quantum technology, biotechnology, smart cities, higher education, and sustainable agriculture, among others. Aerospace is also going to be a major area of focus. 

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) which was signed by Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, MB Patil, and Dr Florian Herrmann, Head of the Bavarian State Chancellory will remain effective for five years. 

This is a renewal of the MoU signed by both sides in 2009. The focus of collaboration will be on the following areas of common interest like digitalisation, artificial intelligence and quantum technology, robotics, biotechnology, medical technology and healthcare. 

Other areas involve recruitment of skilled workers, entrepreneurship and network between company founders, startups, technology clusters and innovation centres as well as domestic security and police cooperation. 

“This joint declaration of intent will not give rise to any financial commitment on the part of either side. Each side will bear its own costs arising from the cooperation on the basis of this agreement,” the letter read. 

Both governments had first signed a MoU in place which was first signed in 2007 represented by the then Chief Minister of Karnataka H D Kumaraswamy, according to the State of Bavaria India office website for co-operation in the fields of commerce, industry, technology, research, infrastructure, tourism and other related areas.

After that, G Parameshwara, Home Minister of Karnataka and Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian Minister of Interior, for Building and Transport signed the Joint Declaration of Intent for the intensification of police cooperation in Munich on June 20, 2016.