The Government of Karnataka, Bengaluru Airport City (BACL) and ANSR have launched a global innovation hub within BACL’s business park, named District I, designed to “unify and elevate India’s innovation ecosystem to a global scale”.
District I
According to the partners, District I will serve as a central platform to accelerate deep-tech entrepreneurship, enterprise-driven innovation and the commercialization of academic research. By bringing together global capability centers (GCCs), IT service providers, accelerators, corporate labs, startups, VCs, academia and public institutions, the initiative is intended to foster an interconnected, collaborative ecosystem across industries and institutions.
With a focus on advanced technologies such as AI, quantum computing, blockchain and customer experience technologies, this hub will focus on aerospace, space tech, smart cities, retail, BFSI, manufacturing, telecom and defense.
With over 16,000 startups, 50% of India’s unicorns and more than 550 GCCs, the innovation hub will enable deeper collaboration between industry, government and academia. It will act as a launchpad for startups, a commercialization engine for academic research and a co-innovation platform for enterprises, all designed to amplify the city’s impact.
Bengaluru Airport City’s business park
District I will form part of Bengaluru Airport City’s 28,000,000ft2 business park cluster, a mixed-use urban destination that will feature R&D hubs, a dedicated education and health district, as well as a mix of hospitality, entertainment and lifestyle offerings.
Bengaluru Airport City’s operational facilities include a central kitchen and a 3D printing unit, with plans to establish India’s first airport-based Concert Arena and a Convention & Exhibition Centre underway too. It will also feature a projected 5,200 hotel rooms, including the Taj Bangalore with 370 rooms and the under-construction combo hotel featuring 775 rooms under the Vivanta and Ginger brands.
Designed as a renewable energy-powered campus with an IGBC Green Cities Platinum rating, the city integrates sustainable practices like rainwater harvesting and infrastructure aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Bengaluru Airport City is also being developed as smart city, encompassing five pillars – ‘built environment and city management’, ‘urban mobility’, ‘energy’, ‘safety and security’ and ‘environment and water’.
Ekroop Caur, secretary for the Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T at the Government of Karnataka, said, “Bengaluru has always led from the front in India’s tech journey. With the Global Innovation Hub, we are creating a platform that brings together every part of the ecosystem to collaborate, innovate and lead globally. This is a key step toward making Bengaluru the world’s next great innovation capital.”
Rao Munukutla, executive director and CEO of BACL, added, “At Bengaluru Airport City, we are proud to introduce District I, a dynamic hub created to inspire and empower the next generation of innovators. More than just a physical space, District I captures the ethos of work, play, live, learn and create, offering startups and enterprises a vibrant ecosystem backed by world-class infrastructure.
“District I is central to our long-term vision of building a future-ready, innovation-led economy – one where ideas spark, collaborations thrive and entrepreneurs drive meaningful change. With this initiative, we aim to catalyze a mindset shift – from job seekers to job creators – and reaffirm our commitment to India’s journey as a global innovation powerhouse. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Government of Karnataka and the ANSR Group for their invaluable support in bringing this vision to life.”
Lalit Ahuja, founder and CEO of ANSR, commented, “While Bengaluru is recognized as a leading technology hub, there remains potential to strengthen its position with a globally benchmarked innovation platform. With the launch of District I, we are not only reaffirming the city’s stature as the Silicon Valley of the East, but we are redrawing the global map of innovation. By uniting startups, service providers, GCCs, academia and public infrastructure on one seamless platform, we are setting a powerful flywheel in motion that will propel the next wave of breakthrough technologies from India to the world.”
In related news, Eurocontrol recently selected the architecture studio Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) to design the new premises for its Eurocontrol Innovation Hub (EIH). Read the full story here