KWIN City Pivotal to Bengaluru's Future, Healthcare-Biotechnology are Key: Experts Stakeholders from different industries convened to discuss the roadmap ahead to become the next innovation powerhouse at Invest Karnataka 2025 being held in Bengaluru.

Stakeholders from different industries convened to discuss the roadmap ahead to become the next innovation powerhouse at Invest Karnataka 2025 being held in Bengaluru.

KWIN (knowledge, well-being, and innovation) City is a strategic development city planned by the Government of Karnataka, spread across 5800 acres set in the Northwest suburbs of Bengaluru. According to the state, the new city will focus on education, medical research, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and cutting-edge healthcare services, alongside startups, tech hubs alongside living space.

Ranch Kimball, Trustee at Boston University suggested that the state needs to tap into the existing ecosystem of companies working out of Bengaluru to make the project successful.

"Build on your strengths, Tap into the enormous startup community in Bangalore," said Kimball.

Aditya Virwani, COO, Embassy Group said that the city already has availability for good space and livability is important.

"Infrastructure has to be future first, not built just for today. In my opinion for cities like KWIN to work and be sustainable, there needs to more space for residential infrastructure complementing the commercial, service, and F&B space," said Virwani.

Airports in the modern day have been beacons of development for areas around it like Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) has been for Bengaluru.

In 2024, KIAL recorded 40.73 million passengers, up by 9 per cent compared to 2023, and is looking to expand close to 80 million by the completion of phase 2 of 'Terminal 2' and by the completion of Terminal 3, looking well over 100 million passengers a year. The airport's current international traffic of 15 per cent but is looking to increase by 20-25 per cent.

KIAL is currently serving as the main commercial passenger and cargo airport for the area. Being 45 kilometers away from the KWIN City project, it is poised to serve two major destinations in the future.

"Our ambition is to be the gateway to South India, If there's going to be big universities in the KWIN city, there have to be several feeder schools as well," said Rao Munukutla, Executive Director and CEO, of Bengaluru Airport City Limited (BACL).

According to Rao, airports are the economic gateways to cities and the KIAL has added 5.28 per cent of gross value to the city's development.

Devi Prasad Shukla, Chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya Limited which handles 15 per cent of all the cardiac-related surgeries in India said that the opportunity to expand to multi-thousand beds is immense in India as the country is one of the global leaders in medical tourism.

"KWIN city can afford to have 3000-4000 bed capacity hospitals. Global pharma, biotechnology, research and development sectors have to play an important role," said Shukla.

Much of the top-grade professional medical diagnosis and procedure equipment is currently produced in countries such as the US, Japan, China, and countries in Europe according to commercial intelligence platform Alpha Sophia.

Shukla said that the current healthcare sector is valued at USD 15 trillion globally, making it one of the leading sectors by value India being a top service provider and well on the way to being the top importer of equipment, has to start manufacturing its own.

"India needs to have medical equipment production facilities of its own. The government needs to invest more in infrastructure for this," said Shukla.

Vikrant Shrotriya, Managing Director, Novo Nordisk India said that developments such as the KWIN City require characteristics such as top-notch integrated connectivity, infrastructure, and livable spaces.

"What information technology (IT) did to India and Bengaluru in particular, biotechnology will do for the future," said Shrotriya adding that better regulations and rebates are required to make the project successful.