Bengaluru, 19 Nov 

Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday unveiled a range of initiatives—LoIs, MoUs and skilling partnerships—aimed at making the State a global technology and talent hub.

He highlighted two new programmes under the State government’s flagship Local Economy Accelerator Program (LEAP)—Elevate Next (Deeptech) and Elevate Beyond Bengaluru.

"LEAP is a five-year, Rs 1,000-crore initiative designed to strengthen emerging clusters outside Bengaluru by providing access to infrastructure, funding and sector-specific support, while reinforcing Karnataka’s leadership in advanced and disruptive technologies," Priyank said on the sidelines of the 28th Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025.

Priyank said Letters of Intent worth Rs 2,600 crore were signed with leading innovators and enterprises, committing significant investments to Karnataka.

"These LoIs, expected to generate 3,500 direct and indirect jobs, were signed across the semiconductor, EV battery and biotech sectors," he said.

According to a statement, Elevate Next (Deeptech), starting 1 January will offer targeted grants to support cutting-edge research and development. Elevate Beyond Bengaluru, launching on 1 February, aims to accelerate entrepreneurial growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

Under the programme, 40 start-ups under Elevate Next will receive grants ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore, while 50 start-ups under Elevate Beyond Bengaluru will be provided grants of up to Rs 50 lakh.

The government further announced NIPUNA Karnataka, a mission to skill 4,000 youth in partnership with major corporate employers.

Meanwhile, Minister NS Boseraju unveiled the concept of 'India’s first Quantum City', proposed at Hesaraghatta, aimed at positioning the State at the forefront of the global quantum technology landscape.

Speaking at the Quantum Technology Roundtable during the Tech Summit, the minister said that under the Karnataka Quantum Mission, the State has announced a Rs 1,000 crore investment.

The upcoming Quantum City will serve as the centrepiece of this mission, according to a statement.

"The city will house advanced research laboratories, a Quantum Hardware Park, cryogenic testing facilities, quantum cloud clusters, and a deep-tech startup zone," it said.