BENGALURU: Industries Minister M B Patil said Nokia Corporation has expressed interest in establishing a Global Capability Centre (GCC) and research centres in Karnataka.
“Nokia has enjoyed a long-standing association with Karnataka for over 25 years and operates its largest global research centre in Bengaluru. Discussions were made on expanding its operations across Karnataka, including Tier-2 cities,” he said on Friday.
During meetings with senior Nokia officials at the ongoing World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Patil said the Karnataka government assured full to the company for its future expansion plans.
The minister also reiterated the state government’s commitment to supporting the World Economic Forum’s ‘Yes–BLR UpLink’ initiative, which seeks to develop the ‘Yes Bengaluru’ programme on sustainable urban development into a globally recognised platform for government–industry collaboration.
He said a detailed discussion was conducted at the meeting with John Dutton, Head of UpLink at the World Economic Forum. The initiative provides financial assistance, mentorship and pilot opportunities to start-ups working on real-world, city-centric challenges and contributing to urban development. The WEF UpLink delegation has appreciated the Karnataka Government’s continued support for the initiative, he added.
Discussions were also held with global cybersecurity major Cloudflare on joining the ‘KWIN City’ project and on future expansion opportunities. The State Government assured the necessary support for the company’s expansion plans. Cloudflare’s Global Strategy Head, Stephanie Cohen, described Karnataka as one of the world’s best destinations for attracting advanced technologies, the minister said.