Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday jointly inaugurated the Bharat Innovates 2026 conclave in Nice, bringing together leading startups, innovators, venture capital funds, industry leaders and academic institutions from India, France and several other countries.
The three-day event, being held from June 14 to 16, is a key initiative under the India-France Year of Innovation and is aimed at strengthening collaboration in emerging technologies, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The conclave serves as a platform to connect Indian innovators with global investors, technology leaders and research institutions while showcasing India’s rapidly growing deep-tech ecosystem on the international stage.
More than 120 Indian deep-tech startups and over 15 higher education institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and leading research organisations, are participating in the event.
The launch of Bharat Innovates 2026 reflects the growing importance of technology and innovation in the India-France relationship, which has expanded significantly in recent years across sectors such as defence, space, digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
The event will showcase innovations in advanced computing, semiconductors, space technology, biotechnology, healthcare, climate solutions, manufacturing and defence technologies.
Ahead of the inauguration, Prime Minister Modi interacted with leading venture capitalists, global investors and innovation ecosystem leaders.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood were also present during the interaction.
Among those who met the Prime Minister were OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal, entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala and several international investors and startup ecosystem leaders.
Prime Minister Modi arrived in Nice on Saturday as part of his official visit to France. During the visit, he is also scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with President Macron to review progress made since the elevation of India-France ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership earlier this year.
The Prime Minister was welcomed by President Macron in Nice ahead of the inauguration ceremony and bilateral engagements.
Following the France visit, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Slovakia for a State Visit before returning to France to participate in the G7 Summit in Evian on June 16 and 17 and later attend the VivaTech Summit in Paris.
-ANI
