Bengaluru: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar recently held discussions with a high-level delegation led by Mario Voigt, Minister-President of the German state of Thuringia, who was on a visit to Karnataka to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation.
Speaking on the occasion, Shivakumar said Karnataka and Thuringia would work closely to identify areas of mutual opportunity. These would include joint ventures, technology transfer, and the exchange of skills and talent.
He added that the Governments of Karnataka and Thuringia would collaborate to drive innovation and advance next-generation technologies.
Welcoming the delegation, Industries and Infrastructure Minister M.B. Patil said Karnataka and Thuringia shared strong potential for collaboration in sectors such as optics and photonics, semiconductors, biotechnology, electric vehicles, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing, and invited companies from Thuringia to invest in these sectors in Karnataka, noting that the State’s industrial policy places special emphasis on them.
He further said that the State Government was committed to promoting balanced industrial growth across Karnataka. Emphasising that the state was increasingly focusing on manufacturing while retaining its leadership in the services sector, he urged companies from Thuringia to take advantage of the opportunities available in Karnataka.
Responding to the presentations, Mario Voigt praised Karnataka’s robust research and development ecosystem, highly skilled digital talent pool, engineering capabilities, world-class start-up environment, and the infrastructure available in sectors such as quantum technology and aerospace.
Chief Minister’s Economic Adviser L.K. Atheeq and Principal Secretary (Industries), S. Selvakumar, were present during the meeting.
