Bengaluru,  Karnataka's annual flagship event 'Bengaluru Tech Summit-2021' would be held in hybrid mode from November 17-19 for greater collaboration between the industry, academia and customers, Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said on Monday.

"We are inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the three-day conclave on November 17. We are also requesting US Vice President Kamala Harris to participate in the event," Narayan told reporters here.

Narayan said the summit with the tagline 'Driving the Next' would be held in a hybrid format comprising more of virtual interactions with a small part of physical participation.

"The event received overwhelming response from experts and delegates from 25 countries all over the world when it was held in virtual mode for the first time in 2020 due to the Covid-induced restrictions," Narayan said.

On the first day, the summit will be on 'Thought Leadership' (Hall of Fame), second day on 'Technologies and Strategies' (Hall of Techies) and the third day on 'Startups' (Hall of Future).

"In the run-up to the summit, we will conduct 'Beyond Bengaluru' events at Hubballi, Mangaluru and Mysuru during September and October to promote the event for wider participation of all the stakeholders," said Narayan, who also holds the portfolios of IT, BT and Science and Technology.

The state government will invite Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsh Vardhan and Nitin Gadkari to participate in the event and address the gathering.

"Reports on the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), engineering R&D and Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) will be released during the 'Beyond Bengaluru' events," said Narayan.

The state-run Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and the state Higher Education Council will be involved in the event to ensure greater participation by the academia and experts.