The BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition began at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Friday, showcasing India’s deep-tech innovations as part of the programmes leading up to the 18th BRICS Summit being hosted by India.
Organised by the Union Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, the two-day exposition is being held on September 11 and 12 alongside the BRICS Business Forum.
The exposition brings together 37 Indian deep-tech startups and ventures, selected from the original cohort of 120 startups and ventures that participated in the maiden Bharat Innovates 2026 exposition held in Nice, France, in June.
The event is aligned with India’s BRICS Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, and seeks to provide Indian innovators with opportunities to engage with global businesses, investors, institutions and policymakers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and heads of BRICS delegations are expected to visit the exposition. Senior Indian and international delegates, CEOs, investors and business leaders from BRICS member countries are also expected to participate in the event.
The exposition is being held alongside the BRICS Business Forum on September 11, providing participating startups with opportunities to interact with business leaders, investors and industry representatives from BRICS countries.
The Ministry of Education said the platform is expected to facilitate B2B engagements, technology partnerships, investment discussions, business linkages and international market access for Indian deep-tech ventures.
The event also advances one of the key priorities under India’s BRICS Education Track — “Enhancing Research, Innovation and Start-up Ecosystems”.
Bharat Innovates is a national programme of the Ministry of Education designed to connect India’s higher education innovation ecosystem with global stakeholders, including startups, higher education institutions, laboratories and research parks, as well as corporates, investors, universities, research institutions and governments.
For the participating startups, the BRICS exposition provides access to BRICS CEOs and investors, opportunities for structured business meetings and matchmaking, and greater international visibility.
The maiden edition of Bharat Innovates 2026 was held in Nice, France, from June 14 to 16 as part of the India-France Year of Innovation 2026. It was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The three-day event showcased 120 Indian deep-tech startups and ventures across 13 thematic areas, with participation from institutions including IITs, IISc, BIRAC and iDEX.
The Nice edition witnessed participation from more than 2,000 participants representing 29 countries. More than 30 collaboration MoUs and partnerships were forged, while Indian startups secured funding commitments of USD 254.5 million following around 1,350 B2B meetings.
The BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition builds on India’s broader engagement in the BRICS Education Track during its 2026 chairship.
The Ministry of Education hosted the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting on August 7 and the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials’ Meeting on Education on August 5 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting concluded with the adoption of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Declaration, which identified five priority areas for cooperation.
These include strengthening early childhood care and education and foundational literacy and numeracy; skill development and technical and vocational education and training; research, innovation and startup ecosystems; mutual recognition of qualifications; and capacity building for academic leadership and institutional development.
