The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Karnataka has unveiled an ambitious strategic roadmap for 2026–27, setting out a comprehensive vision to enhance Karnataka’s position as one of India’s leading industrial and innovation-driven economies. Built around the theme “Accelerating Karnataka’s Competitiveness: Growth, Resilience, Inclusion, Sustainability and Trust,” the roadmap reflects the industry’s commitment to fostering balanced economic development, supporting businesses of all sizes, and preparing the state’s industrial ecosystem for future global challenges. Announced by the newly elected leadership of CII Karnataka, the roadmap places strong emphasis on policy advocacy, technology-led transformation, sustainability, and expanding industrial growth beyond Bengaluru. The initiative also reinforces Karnataka’s role in contributing to India’s long-term vision of becoming a developed nation under the Viksit Bharat mission.
Five Strategic Pillars to Drive Competitiveness
At the heart of CII Karnataka’s strategy are five interconnected pillars that will guide its activities throughout 2026–27: Growth, Resilience, Inclusion, Sustainability, and Trust. These pillars have been designed to address both emerging opportunities and evolving challenges faced by industries operating in Karnataka. The organisation believes that sustainable economic progress requires more than strong financial performance. It also depends on creating resilient industries, promoting inclusive regional development, accelerating environmental responsibility, and building greater trust between industry, government, academia, and society. By integrating these priorities, CII aims to strengthen Karnataka’s competitiveness not only within India but also across global markets.
Leadership Focuses on Future-Ready Industrial Growth
The roadmap was presented by Guruprasad Mudlapur, Chairman of CII Karnataka State Council 2026–27 and President of Bosch Group India and Managing Director of Bosch Limited, alongside Sam Cherian, Vice Chairman of CII Karnataka State Council 2026–27 and Managing Director of Schevaran Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. According to Mudlapur, Karnataka is uniquely positioned to lead India’s next phase of industrial transformation because of its strong innovation ecosystem, advanced manufacturing capabilities, technology leadership, and skilled workforce. He highlighted that CII Karnataka will continue working closely with policymakers to improve the ease of doing business while simultaneously promoting AI-led industrial transformation. Through its Centres of Excellence, the organisation plans to equip industries—particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)—with the knowledge, tools, and capabilities needed to remain competitive in an increasingly digital and technology-driven economy. Mudlapur emphasised that collaboration among government agencies, industry leaders, academic institutions, research organisations, and international partners will remain central to achieving resilient and inclusive economic growth aligned with India’s long-term development aspirations.
Expanding Growth Beyond Bengaluru
One of the most significant priorities outlined in the roadmap is CII Karnataka’s commitment to promoting balanced regional development through its Beyond Bengaluru initiative. While Bengaluru continues to serve as India’s technology capital and innovation hub, CII believes that Karnataka’s future economic success depends on unlocking the potential of Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities across the state. The organisation plans to strengthen its engagement through zonal and district councils, enabling closer collaboration with industries operating in emerging manufacturing and business centres. These efforts will focus on improving industrial infrastructure, facilitating investments, encouraging entrepreneurship, and creating stronger regional industrial ecosystems capable of generating employment and attracting new businesses. By expanding its activities outside Bengaluru, CII Karnataka aims to ensure that economic opportunities are distributed more evenly across districts, thereby supporting inclusive and sustainable development.
Empowering MSMEs as Engines of Growth
Supporting MSMEs remains one of the strongest priorities within CII Karnataka’s 2026–27 strategy. Recognising that MSMEs form the backbone of Karnataka’s industrial economy, the organisation intends to strengthen their competitiveness through targeted capability-building programmes, digital transformation initiatives, sustainability adoption, and enhanced access to national and international markets. CII plans to leverage its Centres of Excellence to provide specialised support in areas including operational efficiency, digital technologies, innovation, quality improvement, productivity enhancement, and business excellence. The roadmap also acknowledges the importance of family-owned enterprises, many of which contribute significantly to Karnataka’s manufacturing, services, and export sectors. Dedicated initiatives will help these businesses modernise operations, embrace emerging technologies, and prepare future generations of leadership.
Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Industrial Transformation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) occupies a central position within the strategic roadmap. CII Karnataka plans to promote AI adoption across industries by helping businesses integrate intelligent technologies into manufacturing processes, supply chain management, customer engagement, predictive maintenance, and operational decision-making. Rather than viewing AI solely as a technological advancement, the organisation considers it a key driver of productivity, competitiveness, and long-term economic resilience. Training programmes, industry workshops, knowledge-sharing sessions, and collaborations with technology experts will help member companies better understand and implement AI-driven solutions. This focus aligns with Karnataka’s growing reputation as India’s leading centre for artificial intelligence research, software development, and advanced digital technologies.
Sustainability and Energy Transition Take Centre Stage
Environmental sustainability has become another defining feature of CII Karnataka’s roadmap for FY2026–27. The organisation intends to help industries accelerate decarbonisation efforts while promoting cleaner production methods, energy efficiency, renewable energy adoption, and responsible resource management.
Key focus areas include:
- Decarbonisation strategies
- Energy transition
- Water stewardship
- Sustainable manufacturing
- Resource efficiency
- Climate resilience
Through its Centres of Excellence and industry clusters, CII will support companies in adopting globally recognised sustainability practices while helping them meet evolving environmental regulations and international ESG expectations. The emphasis on sustainability reflects growing global demand for environmentally responsible manufacturing and positions Karnataka’s industries to remain competitive in international supply chains.
CII Karnataka expressed confidence in the state’s economic trajectory, noting that Karnataka has been growing at approximately 9.1 percent, significantly higher than the national average.
Building Resilient Supply Chains
Recent global disruptions have highlighted the importance of resilient supply chains. Recognising this, CII Karnataka has incorporated supply chain resilience into its strategic priorities. Businesses will be encouraged to diversify sourcing networks, improve operational flexibility, adopt digital supply chain technologies, and strengthen risk management practices. These measures are expected to help industries minimise disruptions while improving efficiency and responsiveness to changing market conditions.
Learning, Skilling and Capability Development
Preparing industries for future challenges requires continuous learning and workforce development. CII Karnataka plans to significantly expand its learning and development initiatives through structured training programmes, executive education, leadership development workshops, technical skill enhancement, and industry-academia collaborations. Special emphasis will be placed on preparing businesses for future technologies, digital transformation, advanced manufacturing, sustainability, and global competitiveness. By investing in human capital alongside technological advancement, CII hopes to create a workforce capable of supporting Karnataka’s rapidly evolving industrial landscape.
Internationalisation and Global Market Access
Helping Karnataka-based companies expand internationally forms another important component of the roadmap. CII Karnataka will actively support businesses seeking new export opportunities, international partnerships, technology collaborations, and foreign market access. This includes organising business delegations, facilitating networking opportunities, promoting international trade, and connecting member companies with global investors and industry partners. Strengthening international engagement will enable Karnataka’s businesses to diversify markets, enhance exports, and participate more effectively in global value chains.
Stronger Industry-Government Collaboration
CII Karnataka continues to position itself as a bridge between industry and government. Policy advocacy and ease of doing business remain core priorities, with the organisation planning to engage extensively with state and central governments to address regulatory challenges, improve investment conditions, simplify compliance procedures, and support industry-friendly reforms. By maintaining regular dialogue with policymakers, CII aims to ensure that industry perspectives contribute to policy formulation while creating a more business-friendly environment across Karnataka.
Centres of Excellence to Expand Under Cluster Model
To improve outreach and effectiveness, CII plans to expand its Centres of Excellence through cluster-based models across different regions of Karnataka. These specialised centres will provide practical guidance and technical expertise in areas such as:
- Sustainability
- Energy transition
- Digital transformation
- MSME competitiveness
- Advanced manufacturing
- Skilling and workforce development
- Business excellence
The cluster approach is expected to make specialised knowledge more accessible to industries operating outside major metropolitan centres, particularly in emerging industrial districts.
Karnataka’s Strong Growth Momentum
CII Karnataka expressed confidence in the state’s economic trajectory, noting that Karnataka has been growing at approximately 9.1 percent, significantly higher than the national average. The organisation believes this momentum provides an ideal foundation for accelerating industrial investment, innovation, exports, manufacturing expansion, and technology adoption during FY2026–27. With its established strengths in information technology, biotechnology, aerospace, electronics, automotive manufacturing, startups, research, and advanced engineering, Karnataka remains well positioned to attract domestic and international investments. Vice Chairman Sam Cherian emphasised that Karnataka stands at a pivotal stage in its economic journey. He noted that balanced regional growth, stronger local industrial ecosystems, entrepreneurship development, improved infrastructure, and enhanced market access will be essential to ensuring that prosperity reaches every part of the state. He highlighted CII Karnataka’s commitment to empowering MSMEs and family businesses through digital transformation, capability development, sustainability initiatives, and stronger industry-government collaboration. These efforts, combined with the Beyond Bengaluru initiative, are expected to create resilient and future-ready enterprises capable of competing globally. The 2026–27 roadmap demonstrates CII Karnataka’s intention to build a stronger, more innovative, and globally competitive industrial ecosystem by combining economic growth with sustainability, technological advancement, and inclusive regional development. By focusing on policy advocacy, artificial intelligence, MSME empowerment, sustainability, internationalisation, skilling, and balanced growth beyond Bengaluru, CII Karnataka aims to create long-term value for industries while contributing to Karnataka’s continued leadership in India’s economic transformation. As industries navigate rapid technological change, global competition, and evolving sustainability expectations, CII Karnataka’s strategic agenda provides a comprehensive framework for building resilient businesses, strengthening regional economies, and positioning Karnataka as one of the world’s leading destinations for innovation-driven industrial growth.
