Bengaluru: Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil announced on Tuesday that an exclusive roundtable session on the Karnataka government’s ambitious KWIN-City project will be held during GIM Invest Karnataka 2025. This session, featuring participation from renowned Indian and international universities, as well as leading institutions, aims to foster collaborations in education, research, and innovation.

Scheduled for February 13, the session is expected to witness the signing of MoUs with 5-6 foreign universities and 6-8 Indian universities. Discussions are currently ongoing, and final decisions will be taken in the coming days. Highlighting the significance of this initiative, Patil noted that under UGC norms, the world’s top 500 universities are permitted to establish campuses in India, and Karnataka will actively leverage this opportunity.

The upcoming Global Investors Meet (GIM) will not focus solely on industrial investments but will also prioritise research, skill development, and ancillary sectors aimed at creating a highly skilled workforce. Patil emphasised that KWIN-City represents a futuristic urban development model aligned with global standards in entrepreneurship, skills, and innovation. The one-and-a-half-hour roundtable will see participation from key state government figures, including Higher Education Minister Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Medical Education Minister Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, and other senior officials.

Several leading Indian universities and institutions, such as Azim Premji University, PES University, MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Dayananda Sagar University, Chanakya University, St. Joseph’s University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Amity University, BLDE University, Christ University, Jain University, and KLE University, have been invited to the session.

Additionally, prestigious research institutions like IISc, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), NIMHANS, and the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) are expected to take part. International universities, including St. John’s University (New York) and the University of York (England), along with experts from VIT Vellore, Christian Medical College (CMC), Birla Institute of Technology and Science(BITS) Pilani, Sastra University, and Lovely Professional University (LPU), are also anticipated to participate.

Prominent Indian corporate leaders and foundations, such as Azim Premji Foundation, Infosys, Reliance, Adani, Bharti, Wipro, Biocon, Kotak Education Foundation, Shiv Nadar Foundation, Bajaj and Mahindra Foundations, Tata Trusts, and HDFC, will also be part of the discussions. Representatives from Bank Parivarthan, Aditya Birla Group CSR, and Asian Paints CSR will present their ideas on collaboration and investment in research and education.

The KWIN-City project will be developed on approximately 5,000 acres between Doddaballapur and Dabaspet.

It aims to establish a hub for education, healthcare, research, and innovation, bringing together world-class institutions and industries to drive Karnataka’s growth in these sectors.