The Berlin Business Office India has been officially opened on 18th March 2026 at the Indo German Chamber of Commerce by Senator Franziska Giffey from the Berlin Senate Dept. Of Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises accompanied by a delegation of industry and institutional leaders from Berlin. Owing to their longstanding partnership, the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises, has chosen Bengaluru for its third international office, following New York and Beijing. Amrita Gandikota has been appointed as the Chief Representative of the Berlin Business Office India with the mandates of promoting foreign direct investment into Berlin, cross border innovation exchange targeting institutional and G2G partnerships and talent migration.
A delegation from Berlin comprising of industry, academia and institutional heads participated in a two-day program in Bengaluru for the Berlin Business Office Inaugural along with company visits and sector focused roundtable discussions. The program opened with a company visit to Bosch India Experience Center and Bosch R&D Center, which is recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, DSIR. The visit was supported by the Embassy of India in Berlin. Defence and Aerospace continue to be a focus topic and therefore a visit to Bellatrix Aerospace was scheduled to view their innovations and understand their internationalization plans and inviting them to ILA Berlin 2026. The round-table discussions were organised at BHive Churchstreet, focussed on Fintech with Reserve Bank Innovation Hub showcasing innovative Fintech startups from India such as MoneyHop and Selkea followed by a session on skilled talent migration with Goethe Institute, GiZ (Triple Win Program) and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence. There was also a focused discussed on the EU India Free Trade Agreement organized by Fraunhofer India with the heads of German corporates in India such as MercedesBenz R&D India, Infineon, Festo, Aumovio India, Carl Zeiss India, BMW Techworks India.
To commemorate the office opening a formal inaugural reception was organized at Taj Westend at 18hrs on 18th March. The evening proceeded with a welcome address by Mr. Achim Burkart, Consul General, German Consulate General Bengaluru, a principal address by Dr. Manjula N, IAS, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT and Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka and keynote by Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Enterprises, Franziska Giffey. Other dignitaries such as Mr. Vinay Kumar, Senior Director & Head, R&D in Industry Division, and Dr. S.P. Verma, Scientist D from DSIR Sanjeev Gupta, CEO, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission and Mr. Madhusoothanan Vijay, Regional Director, Indo German Chamber of Commerce were also present. This was followed by a panel discussion focused on cross border partnerships and internationalization and the importance of driving technology and research partnerships between India and Berlin (Germany). The discussion was led by Dr. Sarika Madan, Scientist E and Member Secretary, Research and Development in Industry Division, DSIR and Dr. Stefan Franzke CEO of Berlin Partner for Business and Technology and moderated by Amrita Gandikota, Chief Representative, Berlin Business Office India. The session closed with pitches of the participating delegates from institutions such as AsiaBerlin Forum, Berlin Brandenburg Aerospace Alliance BBAA, Berlin Partner for Business and Technology, House of Finance and Tech, Medianet Berlin, SRH Hochschule GmbH, TU Berlin, Venture Café Berlin. The event focused on bringing key partners from Berlin to the priority sectors of AI, fintech, aerospace, health, art and creative industries. The office will strengthen IndoBerlin institutional and business relationships, promote foreign direct investment into Berlin and envisions to create partnerships for technology co-creation, startups, academia & research, and talent migration.
The event achieved its objective of fostering dialogue and collaboration between Indian and Berlin stakeholders with an enhanced awareness of bi-lateral collaboration opportunities. Owing to the active participation and engagement from delegates and combination of formal addresses, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities, the delegation proved to be a successful platform for networking and partnership exploration and a productive and engaging experience for all attendees.
