Karnataka and the City of Düsseldorf have expanded their innovation partnership through a new Letter of Intent (LoI) aimed at accelerating cross-border startup collaboration, technology partnerships and sustainability-focused growth initiatives.
As per news reports, Dr Stephan Keller, Mayor of the City of Düsseldorf, said Karnataka ranks among India’s most vibrant technology and startup hubs and underlined the importance of structured international cooperation.
“Through this Letter of Intent, Düsseldorf reaffirms its commitment to supporting innovation-led collaboration, enabling startups and institutions from both regions to connect, scale and create lasting value across borders,” he said.
The partnership framework sets out joint workstreams across startup market-entry support, mentorship access and ecosystem navigation.
It also includes investor, industry and institutional linkages, shared networking platforms, soft-landing mechanisms and structured company-to-institution partnerships.
Key focus areas identified under the LoI include Industry 4.0 solutions, health technology and green technology, reflecting shared priorities around advanced manufacturing, digital systems and sustainability.
The agreement builds on Karnataka’s continuing engagement with Germany under its Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) programme.
Germany was among the earliest focus geographies under the GIA Market Access Programme in 2024, and an earlier cooperation pact between Karnataka and Düsseldorf was signed in February 2023.
The collaboration has been supported by NRW Global Business, the trade and investment promotion agency of North Rhine-Westphalia, along with the German Consulate General in Bengaluru.
The LoI is expected to support deeper innovation-led cooperation and enable future project-specific agreements between Karnataka and the North Rhine-Westphalia region.
During his Bengaluru visit, Mayor Keller also took part in the Future ICT Summit on Sustainable Cities, where he emphasised scalable and measurable sustainability models.
He outlined Düsseldorf’s target of achieving climate neutrality by 2035 and stressed that city-to-city global partnerships are critical for addressing climate resilience, water security, mobility and skills development challenges.
Read More: Qatar Announces $2 Billion Startup Funding as Web Summit Qatar 2026 Attendance Doubles!
The expanded Karnataka–Düsseldorf engagement signals a shift toward structured, sector-focused global innovation corridors linking startups, institutions and sustainability initiatives.
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Published on: Feb 4, 2026, 1:47 PM IST
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