The Karnataka Government Monday launched the Local Economy Accelerator Program (LEAP), a ₹1,000 crore initiative aimed at transforming the state’s innovation landscape beyond Bengaluru.
Aimed at generating five lakh jobs and building startup ecosystems in tier‑2 and tier‑3 cities of Karnataka, LEAP will be implemented over five years.
Addressing a news conference, Karnataka Minister of Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology Priyank Kharge highlighted that Bengaluru remained a global technology hub. “LEAP is focused on extending this success to emerging clusters such as Mysuru-Chamarajanagar, Mangaluru-Udupi, Hubbali-Belagavi-Dharwad, Tumkur, Kalaburagi, and Shivamogga,” he said.
According to Kharge, the programme would help position these cities as self‑sustaining and globally competitive innovation hubs.
LEAP will involve 16 strategic sub-programmes, covering the entire startup lifecycle. This includes the Karnataka Startup Foundry to nurture entrepreneurial spirit in schools, ELEVATE NXT grants for deep‑tech ventures, and Centres of Excellence to promote industry‑academia collaboration.
“Other initiatives such as incubators, accelerators, prototype labs, growth labs, hackathons, bootcamps, and digital clinics will be provided,” said Kharge.
The programme will be under a unified digital portal, which will serve as the central hub for applications and resources, apart from stakeholder engagement, Kharge said.
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While the first Call for Proposals for Innovation Labs was issued on September 18, Kharge said more announcements on hackathons and Centres of Excellence will be made soon.
The project will also have a Critical Research Fund to offer financial support to make innovative products developed by startups market-ready.