Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and French President HE Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated the maiden edition of Bharat Innovates 2026 at the Palais des Expositions de Nice, France on June 14, 2026. Organized by the Government of India as an initiative of the Union Ministry of Education, this high-impact event serves as a premier platform for advancing innovation-led partnerships between India's deep tech innovators and global stakeholders. The inauguration was attended by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval, and Principal Scientific Advisor Dr. Ajay Kumar Sood.
Prime Minister Modi emphasized India's leadership in innovation, stating that "Bharat innovates with scale and speed, for a sustainable future, and for the whole world," while President Macron highlighted the event as a powerful testament to the strong technological, scientific, and industrial partnership between the two countries. Following the inauguration, the leaders undertook a walkthrough of the Innovation Pavilion showcasing 120 cutting-edge technologies and breakthrough innovations developed by Indian innovators and premier higher education institutions across sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing, mobility, and space technologies.
The three-day event (14-16 June 2026) features an extensive program comprising 11 high-level panel discussions, multiple sector-focused masterclasses, curated B2B matchmaking meetings, focused investor pitch sessions involving over 50 startups, and dedicated networking engagements with global investors, corporates, universities, incubators, and policymakers. The program brings together global industry leaders, investors, academics, and technology experts to discuss emerging opportunities across artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing, space, defence, and climate technologies. Bharat Innovates aims to showcase and promote Indian DeepTech innovations to facilitate partnerships with global stakeholders while deepening bilateral cooperation in science, technology, innovation, education, and entrepreneurship.