LONDON, UK: Two high-level Indian technology delegations are to visit Britain next week amid a bid by both countries to deepen their technology ties.

Members of the Indian Semiconductor Association are to visit from September 29 to October 2 for seminars and networking events organized with Silicon South West, South West Regional Development Agency and East of England International.

The second delegation is from NASSCOM, which is bringing 14 of its members covering a variety of areas, including e-learning and healthcare, for one-to-one meetings with British companies.

"It's been over a decade since outsourcing was the buzzword. Now, innovative Indian and UK firms are working together at the top end of the industrial spectrum. India's talent, confidence, energy and entrepreneurial spirit must be seen to be believed," said British Minister for Trade, Investment and Business Lord Mervyn Davies.

Indian investment into Britain increased by 44 per cent in 2008, becoming the second largest source of investment after the US. Two-thirds of the Indians firms investing in Britain are in software and technology, the British government said.

The UKTI has launched a new report, 'Business Opportunities in India for Technology Partnerships', mapping the deep mine of business for Britain's technology sector in India generated by its increasingly sophisticated and growing middle class.
©IANS