Karnataka wrote the first state playbook for global capability centres and still hosts the largest share of them. Its policy now pushes new centres out of Bengaluru and into Mysuru, Mangaluru and Belagavi.
Last updated: 16 October 2026
Key GCC locations in Karnataka
Red markers show the state’s main GCC hubs. Click a highlighted city to see the centres we track there.
Policy at a glance
- Policy
- Karnataka GCC Policy 2024 to 2029
- Status
- In force. Draft released 27 September 2024, final version launched at Bengaluru Tech Summit, November 2024
- Run by
- Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, with a dedicated GCC support unit
- Big idea
- Beyond Bengaluru package with richer support outside the capital
Where it stands
Karnataka is the default first stop for most foreign companies. At launch it counted around 875 centres employing roughly six lakh people and contributing about $22.2 billion to the state economy. The policy aims to double the base to 1,000 centres by 2029.
Key locations: Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Tumakuru
What Karnataka offers foreign companies
- Funding for innovation labs and technology centres: 40% of capital cost inside Bengaluru, 75% in Beyond Bengaluru locations
- Rent, stipend and EPF support, graded by headcount, with a richer package for centres outside Bengaluru
- Half of domestic patent filing fees reimbursed, up to ₹2 lakh
- A ₹100 crore Innovation Fund for joint research between GCCs and academia
- Nano GCCs with 5 to 50 staff qualify for support without the usual investment and hiring thresholds
- Three Global Innovation Districts planned, including one at KWIN City near Bengaluru
Announcements and moves
- Sep 2024Releases India's first draft GCC policy and opens it for public comment.
- Nov 2024Final policy launched at Bengaluru Tech Summit. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announces Global Innovation Districts in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Belagavi.
- 2026Our tracker logs five new centres and two expansions in Bengaluru this year, led by Merck, Festo, Woodside Energy and Abercrombie & Fitch.
New centres in Karnataka in 2026
| Company | City | Sector | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodside Energy | Bengaluru | Energy | Operational | Sep 2026 |
| Abercrombie & Fitch | Bengaluru | Retail and Consumer | Operational | Aug 2026 |
| Merck | Bengaluru | Healthcare and Life Sciences | Operational | Jun 2026 |
| The Standard | Bengaluru | Banking and Financial Services | Operational | Apr 2026 |
| Festo | Bengaluru | Industrial and Engineering | Operational | Feb 2026 |
| Target in India | Bengaluru | Retail and Consumer | Expansion | Sep 2026 |
| Airbus | Bengaluru | Aerospace and Aviation | Expansion | Mar 2026 |
From our India GCC Tracker. Click a company for its full profile. See also GCCs in Bengaluru.
