Lucknow: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency co-hosted a significant business-to-business (B2B) forum on March 3, 2025 at Lucknow.
Thirteen United Kingdom-based companies specializing in urban systems were in Lucknow to conduct business meetings with Uttar Pradesh firms focused on working in Urban system domain.
The rationale was to forge strong collaborative partnerships and R&D opportunities in the realm of urban systems innovation.
The delegation, comprised of leading UK innovators, seeks to engage with Indian counterparts to address pressing urban challenges and develop sustainable solutions.
Awanish Awasthi, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and the Industry Member of UP including Mukesh Singh & Vinayak Nath were present at the session and deliberated on the Industry perspective of the State.
The forum was also graced by the representatives from Lucknow Smart City including A K Singh, General Manager, Lucknow Smart City who gave a detailed presentation on the city’s integrated command centre
Awasthi provided a captivating overview of Uttar Pradesh’s rich historical heritage and its remarkable progress in recent years. He also highlighted the State’s ongoing efforts to enhance urban infrastructure and sustainability, acknowledging the complex challenges that require innovative, collaborative solutions.
Charlotte Fraser, UK-India Partnership Manager, Innovate UK stated “the Urban Systems mission to Lucknow brings 13 fast-growing UK start-ups to India. Our goal is to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and India.
This mission highlighted the benefits of UK start-ups working with India, showing the potential for shared growth and innovation”.
The Innovate UK delegation included representatives from diverse sectors, encompassing air quality, data analytics, energy storage, urban infrastructure, AI-powered fleet solutions and smart mobility. The visit facilitated knowledge exchange, networking sessions, and site visits to key urban development projects in Lucknow.
In concluding remarks, Mukesh Singh highlighted the growing sectors , significant rise in investments , conducive atmosphere of business in UP , significance , outcome of Collaborations and B2B meetings .
