During the 2013 BBG National Conference Christie Cherian and Beryl Nassé discussed the possibility of a joint meet between BBG Chennai and Goa, these discussions resulted in four BBG Chennai members visiting Goa on the 29th and 30th November to investigate possible links between activities in Goa and how they could interact with BBG Chennai members.
The members from Chennai were
- Christie Cherian – MD – – Red Sky – property services/ MCI Consulting – corporate finance
- R Balajee, Director – Converging World Renewable Energy – wind / solar/ biomass
- Ravi Kumar – Zanec Softech – Healthcare IT and Related Software
- Nagendran Annamalai – Tirupathi Green Energy – Renewable Energy
It was agreed that this would be an ideal opportunity to visit the two incubation centres based in Goa the Centre for Innovation and Business Acceleration (CIBA) and Goa IT Innovation Centre (GITIC) and give the entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their projects.
The overall consensus was that the time spent at the incubation centres by BBG Members from Chennai and Goa was valuable with the members from both groups considering the possibility of mentoring options to some of the entrepreneurs.
The day closed with a dinner for all BBG Goa members to meet with the delegation from Chennai.
On the 30th November a meeting with Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry was organised and BBG members met with members of the Chamber. BBG Chennai members introduced themselves to the meeting followed by a round table discussion which ended in an agreement that more interaction between BBG groups and GCCI investigating commercial ventures rather than government projects could be beneficial to all concerned.
All BBG members who took part in the 2 day event agreed that it was time well spent and believe that this will lead to more activity between the groups in both states.
The President of GCCI hosted a lunch for all who attended the meeting and is very keen to follow up on the discussion and for GCCI participate in a visit to Chennai.
Exciting programme marks celebration of India and UK’s partnership across business, technology, science, innovation, education and design
The India UK TECH Summit 2016, India’s largest knowledge and technology conference and exhibition, will be held in New Delhi from 7-9 November 2016. For more details visit the India-UK Tech Summit Website.
The UK is this year’s partner country for the event, supported by the Government of India and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which provides a platform for promoting technology-intensive trade and investments between the two countries.
The TECH Summit will bring together leaders in government, industry and research from both countries to broker new partnerships. The registration link to secure a place at the summit is now open.
Dr Alexander Evans, the British Deputy High Commissioner to India said: “TECH Summit will show that when we work together, the UK and India are an “unbeatable combination” as Prime Minister Modi has stated. Britain is open for business, and we want to do even more business with India. The UK has been the top G20 investor in India, consistently, since the turn of the century, and India invests more in the UK than it does in all other European Union countries combined. Our trade relationship is booming, our researchers collaborate on all manner of issues, and our people visit each other’s countries for study and tourism.”
“The TECH Summit will see British and Indian entrepreneurs, experts and leaders in the various fields related to technology converge and drive our partnership further still”
The Summit will take place over three days, comprising of separate thematic summits on Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and British expertise in Higher Education, Design and Intellectual Property.
The TECH Summit will demonstrate the depth of India-UK partnerships in business, innovation, research, education and entrepreneurship, with the biggest showcase of British expertise and commitment to strengthening relationships in every sphere.
It will also host a major delegation from the UK, highlighting the UK’s capabilities across important sectors like smart cities, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, education and skills.
The Summit will host a major exhibition of UK-India technological collaboration and, excitingly, a Hackathon organised by Barclays Rise, where young Indian students, entrepreneurs and tech-professionals will participate in a competition to find a solution to a specially-posed technical problem. More details later.
Three other major annual events will take place that week, namely Prabodhan, the UK-India CEO Forum and Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), providing an unprecedented platform for Indian and British leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs to take the bilateral partnership to the next level.
Last month in New Delhi, British Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox met the President of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Naushad Forbes. Dr Fox met senior CII members committed to to come back for the TECH Summit to explore the potential to further improve UK-India business relationships.
Speaking last month, Dr Fox said:“The UK-India partnership lies at the very heart of the strategic relationship between our two nations, a relationship that has never been more important than it is today. The India-UK Tech Summit in November will be a further celebration of this partnership, where sector experts ranging from smart cities, healthcare, agri-tech and others will come together to boost trade, R&D as well as academic ties between the UK and India.”
CII President Mr Forbes said at the time: “Technical capability is the source of prosperity for business. The India-UK Tech Summit promises to be a platform which will unleash new possibilities and add new dimensions to our long relationship.” The UK’s involvement in TECH Summit was announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his highly successful visit to the UK last year.
Further Information
India-UK TECH Summit (7-9 November) is the flagship event in the 2016 India-UK Calendar. Spanning business, science, education, research and more it will feature an eye-catching and innovative expo that showcases the best, most cutting-edge UK technologies; world-leading thought-leadership sessions from UK and Indian panelists; and high-level trade missions from the UK in Healthcare, Life Sciences, Future Cities, Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing and Agri-tech.
There will also be a focus on Indian investment and entrepreneurship in the UK, and the 10 winners of the TECH Rocketship Awards will be announced at the Summit. This is a GREAT for Collaboration initiative, announced during PM Modi’s visit to the UK last November, celebrating the strength of India-UK partnerships and forging brand new collaborations. TECH Summit comprises 4 concurrent summits: Technology, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Higher Education, Design, Intellectual Property.
UK – India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) provides a forum to UK companies to enhance their links and develop new partnerships with India business and decision makers. It provides an environment for lively dialogue for all participants with sessions focusing on opportunities in India in a number of sectors where the two countries can enhance their partnership including education and skills, advanced engineering and smart cities (including technology and infrastructure).
