Bengaluru: India’s rapidly expanding Global Capability Centre (GCC) ecosystem has the potential to become a major catalyst for the country’s next phase of innovation-driven growth, according to Deepak Bagla, Director of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog.
Speaking at the GCC Conclave on Innovation 2026 in Bengaluru, organized jointly by the Atal Innovation Mission and the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bagla highlighted the growing role of GCCs in strengthening India’s innovation landscape. He called for deeper collaboration between global capability centres, startups, incubators, and young innovators to accelerate technological advancement and entrepreneurial growth across the country.
Bagla noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently emphasized the importance of “Jai Anusandhan” (Hail Research) as a key pillar of the vision for a developed India. Over the past decade, the Atal Innovation Mission has worked to nurture innovation at the grassroots level through a nationwide network of more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs. These labs have helped inspire scientific thinking and problem-solving skills among students, while AIM’s support for over 100 incubators has provided crucial assistance to startups and emerging entrepreneurs.
According to Bagla, India’s GCC ecosystem has evolved far beyond its traditional role as a support function for multinational corporations. Today, these centres are driving global technology development, engineering excellence, research, and product innovation. He said that integrating GCC capabilities with India’s startup ecosystem could create a powerful innovation engine capable of generating new opportunities, accelerating technology adoption, and fostering globally competitive enterprises.
“By connecting GCCs with startups and innovation networks, we can unlock immense value for talent development, entrepreneurship, and industrial transformation. Such partnerships can play a significant role in helping India achieve its vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047,” he said.
The conclave brought together industry leaders, technology experts, startup founders, incubator representatives, and policymakers to discuss strategies for enhancing collaboration between multinational technology centres and India’s innovation ecosystem.
Arvind Kumar, Director General of STPI, described India’s GCC sector as one of the strongest indicators of the country’s technological capabilities. He revealed that India currently hosts more than 2,100 Global Capability Centres, collectively generating nearly $100 billion in annual revenue.
He emphasized that STPI has played a pivotal role in building India’s technology infrastructure and policy ecosystem since its inception in 1991. The organization’s partnership with the Atal Innovation Mission, he said, is expected to create stronger linkages between GCCs and emerging startups, enabling innovation to move more efficiently from concept to commercialization.
“India’s GCC ecosystem has become a global benchmark. Strengthening collaboration between these centres and the startup community can accelerate innovation and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the country,” Kumar said.
Adding to the discussion, Dr. Sanjay Tyagi, Director of STPI Bengaluru, highlighted the city’s emergence as India’s largest GCC hub. Bengaluru currently hosts a significant share of the country’s multinational technology and engineering centres, making it a focal point for innovation and digital transformation.
Dr. Tyagi stressed that stronger engagement among startups, incubators, and GCCs could significantly enhance technology commercialization and support the growth of innovation-led enterprises. He noted that GCCs possess extensive technical expertise, global market exposure, and research capabilities that can complement the agility and creativity of startups.
Industry leaders participating in the conclave echoed similar views, emphasizing the need for collaborative frameworks that encourage knowledge sharing, co-innovation, and investment in emerging technologies.
The event witnessed participation from representatives of several leading global technology companies, including Intel, IBM, Bosch, Amazon, SAP, Thermo Fisher Scientific, CGI, Shell, Mercedes-Benz, Philips, Morgan Stanley, NVIDIA, Samsung, SanDisk, Wipro, and Yahoo. Their presence underscored the growing importance of India as a global hub for technology development and innovation.
Representatives from various innovation-focused institutions also attended the conclave, including Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), Atal Incubation Centres (AICs), Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs), STPI Centres of Entrepreneurship, the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), and other organizations supporting entrepreneurship and technology development.
Experts at the event observed that GCCs are increasingly becoming strategic innovation centres rather than merely operational support units. Many of these centres are now leading research initiatives in artificial intelligence, semiconductor design, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data analytics, and advanced engineering. Their expanding role presents significant opportunities for collaboration with Indian startups working on next-generation technologies.
As India aims to strengthen its position as a global innovation powerhouse, policymakers and industry leaders believe that fostering stronger partnerships between multinational capability centres and domestic innovators will be critical. Such collaboration can help bridge resource gaps, accelerate research commercialization, create high-quality jobs, and strengthen India’s competitiveness in emerging technology sectors.
With the country pursuing the ambitious goal of becoming a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047, stakeholders at the conclave agreed that innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry-academia partnerships will be central to achieving that vision. The GCC ecosystem, they said, is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between global expertise and local innovation, helping India shape the next chapter of its technological and economic growth story.
