Lessons from COVID-19 must be carried forward: Kris Gopalakrishnan at Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021
The summit, slated for November 17-19, is expected to see attendance from marquee thought leaders in global technology, including Robert Langer, co-founder of Moderna, and inaugurated officially by M. Venkaiah Naidu, Hon'ble Vice President of India.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that the future is not a linear extension of the past, and that, in the new world, we must work together, as one entity, said Kris Gopalakrishnan, chairman of Axilor Ventures and chairman of Karnataka Vision Group on Information Technology.
"India is today creating solutions for 7 billion people in the world, not just the 1.3 billion that live in the country. Our role is becoming even bigger in the world," he added, speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 24th edition of the 'Bengaluru Tech Summit - BTS2021' - an annual event that brings together multiple stakeholders in the Indian tech sector.
This year, as the world and nation prepare to progress in a post-pandemic scenario, technology will play even more critical and all-pervasive role that is vital in supporting the successful functioning of sectors, industries, and governments, said Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Electronics, IT, Bt and S&T, Higher Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, Government of Karnataka.
Calling the Bengaluru Tech Summit a "landmark trendsetter event globally", the minister added that technological innovations are redefining the future and it is this essence that makes for the theme of BTS2021; ‘Driving the Next’.
Through this year's theme, the summit aims to drive conversations around the various ways in which technology can help in the development of not just India, but the world.
Science, with the backing and help of technological infrastructures, played a key role in fighting and dealing with the worst parts of the COVID-19 crisis last year, and the lessons learned during the time must be carried forward as India looks to the future, Gopalakrishnan said in his keynote, adding the aim of the BTS2021 conference is to "clearly define a roadmap for the growth of India's industries, the economy and creation of jobs".
Kris Gopalakrishnan at Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021
Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, executive chairperson of Biocon, and chairperson of Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology said that for biosciences, especially, COVID-19 was a pivotal event because it led to a greater understanding of the many ways in which tech could reimagine the space.
The pandemic has thrown all of us into a digital and hybrid world like we'd never imagined, and it's important to keep exploring how we can leverage technology to collaborate and create more solutions, she added.
The summit will see attendance from marquee thought leaders, including M. Venkaiah Naidu, Hon'ble Vice President of India; Robert Langer, co-founder of Moderna; Venki Ramakrishnan, Noble Prize winner in Chemistry; and Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum, among others.
Some of the themes the conference will focus on include women entrepreneurship and what can be done to enable more participation; social entrepreneurship; artificial intelligence and machine learning; supporting grassroots-level innovation; and how startups can leverage the new normal to collaborate and innovate.