The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, in partnership with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), organised the GCC Conclave on Innovation 2026 in Bengaluru, bringing together leaders from Global Capability Centres (GCCs), technology firms, startups, incubators and policymakers to strengthen collaboration across India’s innovation ecosystem.
The conclave focused on creating stronger linkages between India’s startup ecosystem and Global Capability Centres, while exploring opportunities to support innovation across the entire lifecycle—from school-level innovation and startup incubation to enterprise scale-up.
The event witnessed participation from leading multinational technology companies and GCCs, including Intel, IBM, Bosch, Amazon, SAP, Thermo Fisher Scientific, CGI, Shell, Mercedes-Benz, Philips, Morgan Stanley, NVIDIA, Samsung, SanDisk, Wipro and Yahoo, along with representatives from Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), Atal Incubation Centres (AICs), Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs), STPI Centres of Entrepreneurship and the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM).
Addressing the conclave, STPI Director General Arvind Kumar highlighted India’s emergence as a global GCC hub, noting that the country now hosts over 2,100 Global Capability Centres generating nearly USD 100 billion in revenue. He said STPI, which has supported India’s technology ecosystem since 1991, is now working with AIM to provide GCCs with a structured platform to collaborate with startups, validate emerging technologies and accelerate innovation.
He said the partnership between AIM and STPI would connect STPI’s nationwide network of technology parks and entrepreneurship centres with AIM’s innovation ecosystem spanning schools, incubators and startup acceleration programmes, helping build globally competitive enterprises in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Deepak Bagla, Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission, said GCCs have played a critical role in establishing India as a global hub for technology, engineering and product innovation. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on “Jai Anusandhan”, he said AIM has spent the past decade building a robust innovation pipeline through more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs and over 100 incubators supporting startups and grassroots innovators.
Bagla urged GCCs to actively engage with AIM initiatives through mentorship, innovation challenges, pilot projects, market access and industry-startup partnerships to create globally competitive enterprises.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sanjay Tyagi, Director, STPI Bengaluru, said Bengaluru’s strong concentration of Global Capability Centres makes it an ideal location to deepen collaboration between industry, startups and research institutions. He noted that the conclave aimed to create structured pathways for GCCs to mentor young innovators, co-create solutions with startups and support AIM’s upcoming industrial accelerator programme.
The conclave featured discussions around four key themes: strengthening innovation through Atal Tinkering Labs, supporting entrepreneurship through Atal Incubation Centres and Atal Community Innovation Centres, scaling startups through AIM’s proposed Atal Acceleration Centres for Scale-up of Startups (AACESS) initiative, and promoting industry-led innovation through joint accelerator platforms and STPI’s Centres of Entrepreneurship.
A major focus of the discussions was the upcoming AACESS Industrial Accelerator Programme, which aims to help growth-stage startups gain access to industrial validation, pilot opportunities, mentorship and commercialisation pathways. Industry leaders and GCC representatives were invited to contribute ideas on sector-specific collaboration models and mechanisms to accelerate technology adoption and startup growth.
The conclave also explored broader collaboration between AIM and STPI by leveraging their complementary strengths in nurturing innovators, entrepreneurs and technology enterprises across the country. The event concluded with stakeholders committing to continued consultations and collaborative initiatives to strengthen India’s position as a global hub for innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
