About Us

Building a sustainable innovation ecosystem requires a strong and well-connected network of entrepreneurs, domestic and global enterprises, academic and research institutions, government agencies, investors, business incubators, and technology mentors. Such collaboration ensures that capital, expertise, and talent come together to drive technological breakthroughs with lasting societal impact.

Around the world, regional innovation clusters have proven to be powerful engines of growth, accelerating science, technology, and innovation-led development. Inspired by this model, the Bengaluru Science and Technology (BeST) Cluster was conceptualized as a collaborative initiative of 50+ leading organizations, including premier academic institutions, industry leaders, startups, civil society organizations, and government bodies.

The efforts were coordinated by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), under the leadership of Professor Govindan Rangarajan, Director of IISc, as the Principal Investigator (PI), and Professor Ambarish Ghosh, IISc and Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO of C-CAMP, as the Co-Principal Investigators (CoPIs).

The initiative received its initial support in September 2022, when seed funding was sanctioned by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, marking the formal beginning of BeST’s journey to strengthen the Bengaluru innovation ecosystem and advance India’s vision of becoming an Atmanirbhar Bharat through Science and Technology.

Establishing a sustainable innovation ecosystem requires a well-connected network of The BeST cluster was formally launched at the plenary session of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022, by the Honorable PSA, Prof. Ajay Sood, in the presence of Prof. G Padmanabhan (former Director of IISc (Indian Institute of Science)) and Shri.S. Gopalakrishnan (Kris), Co-founder, Infosys, on 16th November 2022.

Prof. Sood observed that Bengaluru has enormous research & technological potential and Karnataka is a leader in science and technology. He anticipates the BeST cluster to catalyze the success of the S&T (Science & Technology) cluster initiative not just in Bengaluru but in the region, country, and internationally. At the launch, Co-PI Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed said, “Bangalore is a city of science, innovation, and opportunity. The BeST cluster launch could be a landmark for Science and Technology in India and the world. We aim to bring together stakeholders with shared ecosystems, identify and address problems with locally relevant solutions, and then scale up nationally and internationally by building global competitiveness. BeST cluster activities will be based on this ground-up pyramid model.” Co-PI Prof Ambarish Ghosh said, “Bengaluru Tech Summit is the ideal launchpad for the BeST Cluster. The impact of the cluster can be defined in many ways. In addition to immediate social and economic impact at a city scale, we must also consider the impact on sustainability and being globally competitive.” The Honorable PSA, Prof. Ajay Sood, Prof. G Padmanabhan (former Director of IISc), and Shri.S.Gopalakrishnan (Kris), Co-Founder, Infosys, carried out the launch by unfurling the BeST cluster poster, which outlines the cluster’s goals.

The Bengaluru S&T Cluster took a significant leap forward by transitioning into a Section 8 Company on 14th May 2024. Four leading institutions namely the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), and the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) came together to establish the non-profit organization named Foundation for Bengaluru Science and Technology.