Bengaluru Tech Summit to be held virtually due to COVID-19

Bengaluru: Amid the global pandemic, ‘Bengaluru Tech Summit’ would be held virtually for the first time.

The 23rd edition of the event, organised by the Karnataka government’s Department of Electronics, IT, Bt and S&T, would be virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19.

More than 25 countries are expected to participate in the three-day summit, an official press statement said on Wednesday.

The central theme chosen is ‘NEXT IS NOW’highlighting the significance of advancing future at the accelerated pace and the need for preparedness by using innovations and technological interventions, the statement said.

This is the fourth consecutive year wherein the two flagship events of Karnataka — Bangalore IT. Biz and Bangalore India Bio — are brought under one umbrella of Bengaluru Tech Summit highlighting the need for synergies among different streams of science and technologies.

The summit would feature a multi-track conference, an international exhibition, a global innovation alliance, STPI-IT export awards, smart bio awards and Bengaluru impact awards, the statement said.

The summit would be addressed by over 250 domain experts, including over 80 global personalities, focusing on the ‘most disruptive’ technologies and innovations across the globe under four major themes — knowledge hub, innovation corner, one health and country sessions.

Some of the key focus areas of the summit are: aerospace and defence technologies, healthcare, future of work, startup for public good, electronics and semi-conductor, re- imagining digital health and COVID-19 pandemic preparedness.