During the Indian technology conference Bengaluru Tech Summit, NRW Minister of Economic and Digital Affairs Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart and Felix Neugart, CEO of NRW.Global Business, jointly announced the opening of a new NRW international office in Bangalore. NRW.Global Business India/Bangalore starts its work as the 17th international office of the state-owned Trade & Investment Agency at the center of the Indian high-tech industry in order to further expand economic relations between North Rhine-Westphalia and India.
Minister Pinkwart: "Bangalore is India's Silicon Valley, making it an excellent location for the new international office of North Rhine-Westphalia. We have been seeking to intensify the economic exchange between our two states for some time now, and here we still have clear potential for improvement. The strengths of North Rhine-Westphalia's mechanical engineering and manufacturing sectors are the perfect complement for India's dynamic IT industry, so we can exploit significantly more growth potential for companies and start-ups on both sides. We will intensify these opportunities in the best possible way with our new office."
Neugart: "With Infosys, Mphasis, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra or Wipro Technologies, several Indian tech giants have already opted for North Rhine-Westphalia – especially because of the excellent market prospects, the research and university landscape and the highly qualified specialists they find here. At the same time, the Indian market also offers excellent export prospects for our domestic NRW economy, for example in the field of renewable energies. Here we will build a bridge with our office and establish direct contacts with companies, associations, institutions, chambers and politics."
The office will be headed by Ambika Banotra, who as Senior Advisor Political & Economic Affairs at the German Consulate General Bangalore and Ambassador of the German Indian Startup Exchange Program (GINSEP) has extensive expertise in the field of German-Indian bilateral relations. In the past, she accompanied numerous cooperation initiatives between Germany and the Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala and has a wide-ranging network among German and Indian companies, industry associations and government organizations as well as within the startup ecosystem.
In future, the tasks of NRW.Global Business in India/Bangalore will include, in addition to networking, specifically approaching Indian investors in order to inform them about the strengths of North Rhine-Westphalia as a business location, as well as developing suitable company contacts for NRW companies and facilitating market entry in India.