As emerging technologies continue to reshape industries and create new opportunities,
the need to connect education, research and industry has become more important than ever. Karnataka has been at the forefront of this transformation, building a strong innovation ecosystem that supports startups, nurtures talent and converts research into practical solutions. Its Centres of Excellence are playing a key role in developing future-ready skills and advancing technologies across sectors such as AI, robotics, cybersecurity, biotechnology and deep tech.
At the Campus to Career Summit 2026, the panel session “Centre of Excellence Blueprint: Accelerating Innovation from Campus to Corporate” held on 15-16 May in Bengaluru, explored how these centres are bridging the gap between academia and industry. Leaders from various Centres of Excellence shared insights into their work in transforming ideas into startups, products and real-world solutions while creating new pathways for students and innovators to move from campus to career.
Bridging campuses and industry through innovation
Dr. N. Manjula, Secretary, IT & BT Department, Government of Karnataka, highlighted the important role of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in bridging the gap between academia and industry at the Campus to Career Summit 2026.
She said Karnataka’s strong innovation ecosystem is being strengthened through CoEs that transform research, student ideas and emerging technologies into real-world applications. The state has established more than 20 Centres of Excellence across areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, biotechnology, agriculture and semiconductors.
According to Dr. Manjula, these centres have supported more than 750 startups, contributed to around 250 patents, skilled nearly 10,000 young people and enabled over 100 industry-academia collaborations. She highlighted startups such as Fusel and C6 Energy as examples of innovations successfully nurtured through Karnataka’s CoE ecosystem.
She also stressed the need to expand innovation beyond Bengaluru through initiatives such as LEAP, helping create incubation centres, innovation labs and entrepreneurial opportunities across the state. “The ideas which are generated in campuses are translated into impactful and real-world solutions.” The statement reflects Karnataka’s vision of connecting education, research and industry to develop a future-ready workforce and build a more inclusive, distributed and innovation-led ecosystem across the state.
From deep-tech research to real-world impact.
Dr. Debabrata Das, Director of IIIT-Bangalore highlighted Karnataka’s forward-looking approach to technology and innovation, Dr. Das said the state has consistently anticipated future trends and invested in emerging technologies ahead of time. A key example is the Centre of Excellence in Machine Intelligence and Robotics, established in 2018 at IIIT-Bangalore.
The Centre has worked across artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, IoT, data science and advanced speech, text, image and video processing. Its efforts have resulted in deep-tech research, more than 85 publications, extensive student training, startup support and the development of technologies with real-world and social impact.
The Centre has also translated research into products such as a refreshable Braille reader, platforms supporting rural students preparing for competitive examinations, assistive technologies for people with mobility challenges and autonomous warehouse robots. Some of these innovations have reached thousands of users across multiple states.
He emphasised that Centres of Excellence should go beyond research and create stronger links between academia, industry and the startup ecosystem. He also proposed a unified IP marketplace for innovations developed by Karnataka’s CoEs, along with a hub-and-spoke model to connect institutions across the state.
He further highlighted the potential of combining artificial intelligence with biotechnology and medicine, suggesting that this convergence could help Karnataka emerge as a global hub for future technologies such as personalised medicine. “From research, we have translated ideas into products.” This highlights the central role of Centres of Excellence, ensuring that research does not remain limited to laboratories or academic publications, but is transformed into practical products and solutions that benefit industry and society.
Turning AI and robotics into real-world impact.
Shri Raghu Dharmaraju, CEO of ARTPARK, highlighted the organisation’s focus on transforming AI and robotics research into practical applications, startups and social innovations. He said ARTPARK follows a talent-first approach, identifying promising innovators early and supporting them through funding, mentorship and industry collaboration.
Over the past five years, ARTPARK has supported more than 40 innovations, including 34 startups and several social innovations that have scaled across multiple states. Its work spans areas such as autonomous systems, AI, robotics, disaster management, disease prediction and Indic-language generative AI.
Raghu Dharmaraju also highlighted opportunities for students and young innovators through technology innovation programmes, fellowships, internships and startup funding. He stressed that ARTPARK prioritises the development of core deep-tech capabilities rather than merely building applications on existing technologies. “Our job is to build India’s next generation of innovations and innovators for economy, society and sovereignty.” The statement reflects ARTPARK’s vision of developing homegrown technologies and talent in strategically important areas, strengthening India’s technological independence while addressing real-world societal and economic challenges.
Building an AI-ready India
Ashok Kamath, Director of ASCEL Technology Forum, CoE-AI, highlighted the need to strengthen India’s AI ecosystem through skills, governance, social infrastructure and access to quality data.
He noted that AI could contribute significantly to India’s economy by 2030, but said the opportunity can only be realised by creating a much larger AI-literate workforce. ASCEL is working towards this through its startup accelerator, AI-ready data initiatives, responsible AI programmes, skilling workshops and industry collaborations.
The organisation’s accelerator has supported promising startups through structured mentoring and investor engagement, while its Tatya data platform has catalogued around 8.5 lakh datasets from 226 data hubs. ASCEL is also working to convert existing data into AI-ready formats, creating new opportunities for young professionals in data preparation, AI and analytics. “Technology alone will not do the trick. Governance, social infrastructure and skills must evolve.” This highlights that India’s AI growth cannot depend only on advanced technology. Strong governance, skilled talent and accessible, high-quality data will be equally important in turning AI’s economic potential into real-world benefits and employment opportunities.
Strengthening India’s cybersecurity talent ecosystem
Ranjit Mishra, Centre Head of CoE-CySecK, highlighted the Centre of Excellence’s efforts to address India’s growing cybersecurity talent gap through industry-focused training, research and innovation.
Established in 2017, the Centre works with academia, government and startups to make cybersecurity education more practical and industry-ready. Its upcoming Cyber Range will provide hands-on training for Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst roles, with a strong focus on practical learning.
The Centre has trained hundreds of faculty members and students, conducted cybersecurity boot camps and hackathons across Karnataka, supported startups and helped create employment opportunities through intensive skilling programmes. It is also developing advanced capabilities in hardware security, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing. “The skilling gap is the biggest gap today.” The statement highlights the urgent need to move beyond conventional, theory-based cybersecurity education. By combining hands-on training, simulation-based learning and industry collaboration, the Centre aims to create job-ready cybersecurity professionals and strengthen Karnataka’s cyber resilience.
Driving life-science innovation from research to reality
Dilip Shankar, Associate Vice President of Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre, highlighted the Centre’s role in supporting and nurturing startups, researchers and student innovators across Karnataka’s growing life-sciences ecosystem.
Operating under the Government of Karnataka’s IT & BT Department, the Centre serves as a think tank, catalyst and translation engine. It brings together government, academia, industry and startups to convert scientific research, patents and ideas into commercially viable products and real-world solutions.
Over the past 11 years, the Centre has supported more than 500 startups and empowered over 8,000 students, while providing more than 1,000 internship opportunities. Its infrastructure supports innovation across healthcare, medtech, agritech, food tech, climate tech, pharmaceuticals and vaccine manufacturing, covering the journey from idea and prototype development to manufacturing and regulatory approval.
Shankar also emphasised the importance of specialised infrastructure and skills in bio-innovation, where product development often requires clinical trials, safety testing, ethical approvals and regulatory compliance. The Centre provides access to certified laboratories, advanced equipment and industry-linked training to help researchers and startups overcome these challenges. “Innovation is not just an idea. It is a responsibility.” This reflects the Centre’s focus on ensuring that scientific discoveries move beyond laboratories and become safe, scalable and impactful solutions for society. By combining infrastructure, skilling, industry collaboration and entrepreneurship support, the Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre is helping strengthen Karnataka’s position as a leading hub for life-sciences innovation.
Also Read: Karnataka Preparing Higher Education for an Intelligent Future
Conclusion
The discussions at the Campus to Career Summit 2026 demonstrate that Karnataka’s Centres of Excellence are evolving beyond traditional research institutions. They are emerging as powerful platforms where ideas are transformed into technologies, startups, products and solutions with real-world impact.
With continued collaboration between government, academia, industry and the startup ecosystem, these centres are helping bridge the gap between education and employment while preparing young talent for the demands of emerging technologies. Their growing focus on deep tech, AI, robotics, cybersecurity, biotechnology and other strategic sectors is also strengthening India’s technological capabilities.
As Karnataka continues to invest in innovation, skills and infrastructure across the state, its Centres of Excellence are expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of technology, entrepreneurship and talent development. The journey from campus to corporate is therefore becoming more than just a pathway to employment—it is becoming a platform for innovation, enterprise and long-term economic growth.
