Bharat Innovation Meet in France Attracts Good Turnout
Ř Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush
Goyal Addresses Valedictory Sessions; Says India-France Year of Innovation 2026
can Develop into a Transformational Platform for Future Cooperation.
Ř Summit Delivers Strategic Partnerships, Investment
Opportunities and New India–France Innovation Bridges
Ř Draws Over 2,000 Participants from 29 Countries
across the World; Witnesses more than 1,350 B2B meetings and above 50 collaboration
agreements
·
Bharat Innovates 2026
concluded in Nice, France
after three days of technology showcases, investor interactions, and global networking.
·
Union Commerce and Industry Minister
Piyush Goyal termed the summit a major milestone for India's innovation ecosystem.
·
The Minister highlighted the India–France Year of Innovation 2026
as a transformative platform for future bilateral cooperation.
·
The summit aimed to connect Indian
startups, researchers, and higher education institutions with global investors,
corporations, and markets.
·
Over 2,000 participants from 29 countries
attended, including more than 500
French investors, researchers, and corporate leaders.
·
The event showcased 120 Indian DeepTech
startups and 45
technology projects from 15 leading Indian institutions.
·
Around 60% of participating startups
were linked to IITs, IISc, and other premier educational institutions.
·
Key outcomes included:
o
1,350+ B2B meetings
o
50+ collaboration agreements
o
80+ startup pitches
to over 50 global investors
o
Investor follow-up commitments
for 40+ startups
o
USD 254.5 million
in funding commitments and advanced-stage investments
·
Several startups secured orders
and expressions of interest from French and international buyers, supporting global
market expansion.
·
Discussions focused on AI, semiconductors, biotechnology, MedTech,
space, defence technologies, advanced manufacturing, energy,
and climate technologies.
·
The summit strengthened India–France partnerships
in research, startup acceleration, talent exchange, technology commercialization,
and market access.
·
Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay
Kumar Sood emphasized that the summit marked the beginning of a broader effort to
accelerate Indian innovation globally.
·
The event advanced the vision of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron for stronger innovation-driven
cooperation.
Bharat Innovates 2026 successfully positioned India as a leading global DeepTech and startup hub, attracting international investment,
fostering India–France innovation ties, and creating new opportunities for research,
technology commercialization, and global expansion.
[ABS News Service/18.06.2026]
Bharat Innovates 2026 concluded in Nice, marking
the completion of three days of technology showcases, business meetings, investor
pitching and institutional engagements involving participants from India, France
and across the world.
Addressing the Valedictory Session, Union
Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal described the inaugural edition of
Bharat Innovates as a significant milestone and highlighted the role of India’s
higher education ecosystem in nurturing research-led innovation and entrepreneurship.
Referring to the India-France Year of Innovation
2026, the Minister said the initiative reflected the shared vision of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron and could develop into a transformational
platform for future cooperation.
Calling upon startups, innovators, researchers
and students to pursue global opportunities, Mr. Goyal said, “The world is your
stage.” He observed that Bharat Innovates marked the beginning of a new chapter
in promoting innovation and reaffirmed India’s growing role as a global technology
and startup hub.
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government
of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, presented the key outcomes of the Summit. He said
Bharat Innovates had demonstrated the possibilities created when government, academia,
industry, investors and international partners work together with a shared purpose.
He added that while the summit had concluded, the process of accelerating Indian
innovation had only begun.
An initiative of the Government of India implemented
by the Ministry of Education, Bharat Innovates was organised
to connect innovations emerging from India’s higher education, research and startup
ecosystem with global investors, corporations, customers, research institutions
and markets.
The Summit showcased 120 curated Indian DeepTech innovators and around 45 technology projects from 15
premier Indian higher education institutions. Nearly 60 per cent of the participating
startups were incubated in or were closely associated with the IITs, IISc and other
leading Indian institutions.
More than 2,000 participants attended the
summit, including over 500 French investors, corporate leaders, CXOs, researchers,
innovators and institutional representatives, with participation from 29 countries.
The three-day summit facilitated:
·
1,350+
B2B meetings involving startups, investors, corporates
and institutional partners;
·
50+
collaboration agreements across industry, academia, research and incubation;
·
Pitches
by 80+ startups before over 50 global investors from more than 10 countries;
·
Confirmed
investor follow-up commitments for more than 40 startups; and
·
Approximately
USD 254.5 million in funding commitments and advanced-stage investments involving
Bharat Innovates innovators including from investors from US and Japan.
Several participating startups also received
confirmed orders and expressions of interest from French and other international
buyers, opening new opportunities for customer acquisition, international market
entry and commercial partnerships.
The final day featured focused discussions
on technology parks and accelerators, industrial decarbonisation
and global scale-up. The programme also included an address
by Co-Founder, Nothing, Mr. Akis Evangelidis, on technology entrepreneurship, product
development and international growth.
Across three days, the summit hosted engagements
covering artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, MedTech, space,
defence and dual-use technologies, advanced manufacturing,
energy, climate technologies and global DeepTech investment.
Parallel investor pitch rooms, startup masterclasses,
technology demonstrations and curated meetings enabled direct engagement with venture
funds, corporate venture capital firms, global corporations, universities, research
institutions and incubators.
The Summit also strengthened institutional
partnerships between India and France, creating new pathways for joint research,
startup acceleration, talent exchange, technology commercialisation
and international market access.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his inaugural
speech, had emphasized that innovation was the next chapter of human civilization.
In this direction, Bharat Innovates 2026 has advanced the objectives of the India-France
Year of Innovation and strengthened India’s engagement with global innovation networks,
while laying the foundation for sustained collaboration in frontier technologies.