Government Of Karnataka Signs MOA To Establish Centre Of Excellence In Agri And Allied Innovation In Kalaburagi

The agreement was signed between the Department of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology and Science and Technology and the Krishi Kalpa Foundation for setting up the facility, which will focus on research, innovation and technology-driven solutions in agriculture.

Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) Managing Director Rahul Sharanappa Sankanur signed the agreement on behalf of the state government, while Krishi Kalpa Foundation CEO CM Patil signed as the implementing partner.

The centre will be established under the Local Economy Acceleration Programme (LEAP), the state government’s flagship ₹1,000 crore initiative designed to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-led economic growth in emerging clusters beyond Bengaluru over a five-year period.

Officials said the centre will work towards strengthening innovation in agriculture and rural enterprise by enabling startups, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), self-help groups (SHGs), researchers and rural innovators to collaborate on technology-led solutions.

Speaking on the initiative, IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said Kalyana Karnataka has the potential to emerge as a hub for agricultural innovation and rural enterprise.

“Through the LEAP programme, the Government of Karnataka is committed to bringing technology, entrepreneurship and opportunity closer to our communities beyond Bengaluru. The Centre of Excellence in Kalaburagi will create a strong platform for farmers, startups, researchers and young innovators to collaborate on cuttingedge agri-tech solutions, while strengthening livelihoods and driving sustainable economic growth across the region," he said.

The centre will support research and development, skill-building programmes and industry–academia partnerships, while helping local innovators develop scalable products and enterprises that address challenges across the agricultural value chain.

Krishi Kalpa Foundation will operationalise the facility and lead programmes related to innovation, startup support, research initiatives and capacity building in line with the government’s objectives.

The Kalaburagi facility is part of a broader plan to establish six Centres of Excellence across Karnataka with a budget allocation of Rs 90 crore over five years to build globally competitive research and innovation hubs.

The centre will also focus on emerging areas such as agri-tech, artificial intelligence in farming, IoT-based agriculture, robotics and digital farming platforms.