Bharat Innovates 2026 Inauguration and Overview
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated the inaugural edition of Bharat Innovates 2026 at the Palais des Expositions de Nice, France. The event, an initiative of the Government of India implemented by the Ministry of Education, serves as a premier platform for advancing innovation-led partnerships between India's deep tech innovators and global stakeholders. The event showcased India's rapidly growing innovation ecosystem featuring 120 Indian innovators, over 15 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and more than 500 global stakeholders including global CEOs, industry leaders, and leading venture capital firms.
Sector Coverage and Participation
The event highlighted advancements across 13 key sectors: advanced computing, semiconductors, space technology, biotechnology, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. Infosys Founder N. R. Narayana Murthy delivered the opening keynote, emphasizing the role of academic institutions in creating globally competitive technology enterprises and highlighting that enduring enterprises are built through complementary talent, shared values, disciplined innovation, transparent governance, and trust. He specifically noted that higher education and research institutions have a critical role in shaping value-led founders and technology leaders.
Partnership Agreements and Collaborations
A major outcome was the signing of over 30 partnerships including innovation-focused Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and joint declarations. This included 12 agreements between Indian Higher Education Institutions/incubators and French/global incubators to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, research collaboration, and startup support. Additionally, 16 agreements were signed with leading global corporations to facilitate technology development, commercialization, and market access for Indian innovators.
Thirteen French universities signed partnership agreements with 11 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to enhance cooperation in student exchanges, joint research, innovation support, academic collaboration, and talent development. The India-France ATL Bridge, established by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and La Foundation Dassault Systèmes, will extend India's Atal Tinkering Lab framework to France by setting up the first School Innovation Lab in France.
Strategic Discussions and Focus Areas
The event featured a panel discussion on "AI for Global Good: Building a Corridor for Trusted, Inclusive and Scalable AI" that brought together industry, investment, and research institutions to explore collaborative approaches to responsible artificial intelligence and sovereign technology development. Subsequent sessions included "India and Europe: Deep Tech Without Borders" and "Global Deep-Tech Capital Corridors," focusing on cross-border innovation ecosystems, venture financing, commercialization pathways, and global market access for emerging technologies.
The plenary session on "AI for Global Good" highlighted India's strengths in affordable, localized AI solutions, the growing importance of sovereign AI capabilities, and the need for open-source collaboration over technological monopolies. Speakers emphasized joint R&D, investment partnerships, and an expanded international coalition to build a resilient and globally competitive AI ecosystem.