Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday jointly inaugurated the maiden edition of Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, marking a significant step in strengthening the India-France partnership in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
Organised by the Ministry of Education, Bharat Innovates 2026 is being held at the Palais des Expositions de Nice from June 14 to 16. The event aims to connect India’s deep-tech innovators with global investors, industry leaders, academic institutions and policymakers. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal welcomed the dignitaries, while External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Principal Scientific Adviser Dr. Ajay Kumar Sood were among those present at the inauguration.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi highlighted India’s growing prominence in innovation and technology. “Bharat innovates with scale and speed. Bharat innovates for a sustainable future, and Bharat innovates for the whole world,” he said, inviting global stakeholders to collaborate with India in shaping the future of innovation. President Macron described the event’s debut outside India as a testament to the strong and evolving technological, scientific and industrial partnership between the two nations.
Following the inauguration, the two leaders toured the Bharat Innovates Innovation Pavilion, which features 120 cutting-edge technologies and breakthrough innovations developed by Indian startups and leading higher educational institutions. The showcased innovations span sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing, mobility and space technologies.
The three-day event includes 11 high-level panel discussions, sector-focused masterclasses, investor pitch sessions involving more than 50 startups, curated business-to-business meetings and networking engagements with global investors, corporations, universities and incubators. Discussions will focus on emerging opportunities in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, healthcare, energy, defence, climate technology and space.
