Karnataka Council for Technological Upgradation (KCTU) is joint venture of Central, State Governments and Industry Association. First of its kind in the country, it has been set up to fulfil the long felt needs of technological inputs to the SMEs of Karnataka and to highlight on investment opportunities. It functions as a nodal agency for technology transfer and as a facilitator. It will provide a network of information agencies in India and abroad with easily available information search loops and services. The establishment started functioning from August 1996.

Objectives

• Primary objective is to enhance the competitive status of SMEs of Karnataka through technological upgradation

• Catalysing technology upgradation of SMEs through acquisition, adoption and upgradation of modern technology

• To facilitate Karnataka SMEs to plan for their modernisation and diversification growth

• To reduce cost, improve productivity and quality, increase the competitiveness of industry nationally and internationally and go for latest state of art of technology diversification plans to build industry competence and aim at expansion.
  

Highlights of Achievements (as by end July 1998)

• The council has attended to enquiries exceeding 600 on wide range of industrial activities

• Developed a client base of 114 technology conscious small enterprises

• Initiated specific search for product/process technologies on behalf of 27 client enterprises

• Facilitated technology transfer to 15 client enterprises from overseas companies

• Entered into cooperation agreement with leading overseas agencies for exchange of technologies and delegations

• Arranged delegation visits to foreign countries viz., Germany, Hong Kong, etc.

• Acquired more than 1000 project details which includes both foreign and indigenous technology
  
  
• Organised Intechmart'97 - International meet with UNIDO, and Govt of India in which arrangements were made for one-to-one business discussions between 350 delegates from 31 foreign countries including UK, France etc., with about 250 entrepreneurs from Southern India.
  
  
• Arranged one-to-one business meets for entrepreneurs of the State with German delegates in collaboration with Indo-German Chamber of Commerce
  
  
• Conducted 9-week part-time Business Growth Training Programme for Small Scale Industries (SSIs) of the State in collaboration with Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
  
  
• Organised a one day Workshop Programme on prospect of Business Trade and Industry in Dubai for the entrepreneurs of the State in collaboration with SISI, Govt of India and with active support from the Dept of Tourism Commerce and Marketing, Govt of Dubai
  
  
• Introduced a quarterly newsletter `Tech Digest''
  
  
• Assistance to SSIs in quality management including ISO 9000
  
  
• Assistance to SSIs for patents and IPRs.
  

To achieve the objectives the following effective steps were taken :

MOU signed with

• Technology Bureau for Small Enterprises, New Delhi

• Small Industries Service Institute, Govt of India

• National Institute for Small Industry Extension & Training, Hyderabad

• Tianjin Municipal Science & Technology Centre, Tianjin, China

• Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Park, Mysore

Internetworking

• Investment technology promotion initiative of UNIDO and UNIDO Promotion Offices

• GWZ Stuttgart, Germany

• DEG, Germany

• Steinbeis Foundation, Germany

• Central Manufacturing Technology Institute, Bangalore

• Indian Space Research Organisation
  

Technology Acquired for dissemination

• Technology details of products from foreign countries

• Technology details of products/services from National Research Laboratories under CSIR

• Technology Details of products from Defence Laboratories

Other range of services:

• Incentives for ISO accreditation to first 20 registered SSI Units during a year

• Incentives for ISI Certification to first 20 registered SSI units during a year

• Award for adopting new technology to 3 registered SSI units in specific groups

• Consultancy for Patents, Patent Search and Patent Registration

• Providing information on Intellectual Property Rights

• Conducting awareness programmes on ISO & ISI related matters.