Hyderabad, Sept 01: The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI), in collaboration with the German Indian Business Alliance (GIBA) and Innovation Hub RheinMain, launched the Indo-German Gateway Programme, a structured 12-month internationalisation and European market-entry programme designed to help Telangana enterprises establish a sustained commercial and operational presence in Germany and use the RheinMain region as a gateway to wider European markets.
The programme was unveiled at a conference titled “From Telangana to Germany: Internationalisation Pathways for MSMEs”, held at the FTCCI, Federation House, Hyderabad on Monday. The programme brought together FTCCI, GIBA and the cities of Rüsselsheim am Main, Raunheim am Main and Kelsterbach, represented through Innovation Hub RheinMain, to create a structured pathway for Indian enterprises seeking to enter and expand in the German and European markets.
The programme framework provides for maximum aggregate support of up to €25,000 per participating enterprise, subject to eligibility, milestone completion, approvals and availability of programme resources. The support is intended to facilitate activities such as assessment, market visits, establishment and market development.
Mr Nikhil Chakravarthy J, IAS, Commissioner of Industries, Government of Telangana, addressed the conference and emphasised the importance of international market access and stronger global linkages for Telangana industry. He explained why Telangana is the top destination for the investors in India.
Telangana is moving from the era of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ to the era of ‘Speed of Doing Business’. We want businesses not only to find Telangana easy to operate in, but to find that things happen here quickly. Telangana is the house of talent, and this is one of our greatest competitive advantages. Around 1.7 lakh graduates come out of colleges in the state every year, and Telangana accounts for nearly 25% of India’s talent pool. The state also ranks third in India in terms of net positive talent balance.
As part of Telangana’s Vision 2047 roadmap, we are reimagining our industrial growth strategy. Industrial Policy 2.0 will move beyond a generic approach and create focused policies for sectors such as aerospace and defence, lifestyle and leather, Global Capability Centres, data centres, electronics, life sciences and other emerging industries. We are planning announce new policies on all of these. TIPASS will also be rechristened as we move towards a more agile and outcome-oriented industrial facilitation system.
We are preparing competitive incentives for companies investing US$25 million and above. Our objective is to attract larger investments, create high-quality employment and build strong local industrial ecosystems. Telangana already has a significant advantage in local manufacturing, with nearly 80% of the components required by our local industries being manufactured within the state.
We also have a unique geographical advantage. Telangana has exceptionally high seismic stability, making it an attractive location for industries and critical infrastructure that require long-term operational resilience.
The Telangana Rising Global Summit 2.0, scheduled for December 7–9 under the theme ‘Invest Telangana’, will be an important platform for unveiling the state’s next generation of industrial policies and investment opportunities. We invite the German Indian Business Alliance (GIBA) and our partners from Germany to participate in the Summit. We will soon begin roadshows to take the Telangana opportunity to international investors, including in Germany, and we look forward to welcoming German companies to Telangana.”
The conference was attended by Shri Madhav R. Sulphule, I.F.S., Regional Passport Officer and Head of Branch Secretariat, Hyderabad, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, who was the Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address. The presence of representatives from the Government of Telangana, Government of India, German cities, GIBA, Innovation Hub RheinMain and the business community underlined the growing importance of India-Germany economic cooperation.
India is emerging as a key strategic partner to many countries. Though small, but many Gernmany MSMEs have produced world class products, he said.
Addressing the gathering, Mr K.K. Maheshwari, President, FTCCI, said that internationalisation has been a continuing priority for FTCCI and that the new initiative goes beyond conventional trade visits by offering businesses a structured pathway for establishing themselves in overseas markets.
He said the programme comes at an important time, with growing opportunities for Indian businesses in European markets. Telangana’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, automotive and mobility, aerospace, life sciences and digital technologies align strongly with sectors seeking partnerships and business opportunities in Germany and Europe.
Giving special remarks, Srinivas Garimella, VP of FTCCI said German is known for Engineering Automation and Engineering Excellence. They are known for precision engineering. You will grow in scale only when you innovate.
Pankaj Diwan Co-chair observed that our Prime Minister gave clarion call to make India a world class manufacturing hub. India and Gernmany have a strong relationship—75 years diplomatic relationship, 25 years strong business partnership 25% of Indian exports to European Union are to Germany alone. We have over 2000 Germany companies in India. This is a unique model beyond Municipalities, city to city and beyond governments. FTCCI has a lot of synergies to associate with this program.
Mr Nirmal Raman Kannaiyan, CEO, German Indian Business Alliance, and Mr Selvakumar Periasamy, Chairman, German Indian Business Alliance, delivered the theme address and outlined the opportunities for Telangana enterprises to build meaningful business connections with Germany. German population is ageing, their youth are shying away from manufacturing and going for AI other new generation of technbologies,. Hence, Germany is looking for collaborations outside India.
Mr Stephan Wittekind, CEO, Innovation Hub RheinMain, highlighted the potential of the RheinMain region as a landing point for Indian companies seeking to establish themselves in Germany. The delegation from Germany also included Mr Manfred Ockel, Mayor of Kelsterbach, who spoke about the opportunities offered by the region and its business ecosystem.