Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison first announced the opening of a new Consulate General in Bengaluru during his virtual inaugural address at the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) on Wednesday.
“I’m pleased to let you know that Australia is also seeking to establish a new Consulate General in Bengaluru. Bengaluru is the world’s fastest-growing technology hub, and of course, we want to be a part of it. It is home to a third of India’s unicorn companies,” Morrison said.
“Australia’s new mission in Bengaluru would expand our diplomatic presence in India to five posts. Australia will deepen its ties with India’s innovators, technologists and entrepreneurs, as well as the Indian government at all levels,” he added.
Today, Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne officially made the announcement on Twitter stating “Australia is stepping up its engagement with India”.
🇦🇺 is stepping up our tech engagement with 🇮🇳. Announced by @ScottMorrisonMP at the @blrtechsummit, 🇦🇺 will open a new Consulate-General in Bengaluru, 🇮🇳’s #cybertech hub, & a Centre of Excellence for Critical & Emerging Tech Policy.
More: https://t.co/OSfAKpUKH0 pic.twitter.com/ILRM8q4UbV
— Marise Payne (@MarisePayne) November 18, 2021
“Australia is strengthening our technology partnership with India through the establishment of a new Consulate-General in Bengaluru and a Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy, also to be based in India,” the official statement said.
The move will promote engagement with India’s southern states and our outreach to Australia’s diaspora and alumni communities.
Naming Bengaluru as the world’s fourth-largest technology cluster, and home to a third of India’s unicorn companies, the statement praised the city’s determinative role in India’s rise as a technological superpower.
Bengaluru is also home to significant biotech, aerospace and defence industries, a thriving start-up ecosystem, India’s national space agency as well as leading education and research institutions.
The new Consulate-General will focus on deepening Australia’s ties to India’s vibrant innovators, technologists, and entrepreneurs. It will support Australian businesses in one of the world’s most important commercial centers.
Half of the next billion internet users are projected to be in India, and India’s digital economy, centred on Bengaluru, is set to grow to US$1 trillion by 2025.
Additionally, the Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy will bring together Australian and Indian technologists, policy practitioners, academics, researchers, and thought leaders. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative that will help guide “the responsible development and use of critical technologies”.
The Centre hopes to promote stronger investment opportunities and cutting-edge innovation in cyber, critical, and emerging technologies. It also aims to amplify Australia’s and India’s policy impact globally while visiting fellows from around the Indo-Pacific will broaden the Centre’s influence, the statement revealed.
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