Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026 at the Palais des Expositions in Nice on Sunday, launching a three-day innovation conclave that brings together Indian startups, researchers, and higher education institutions with global investors and industry leaders.
The initiative was designed to position Indian startups not just as recipients of global investment but as technology contributors and partners, a distinction Modi emphasised at the inauguration. "There are some relations which are driven by shared vision, along with shared interest. The relation between France and India is like that," he said.
Macron, in his remarks, framed the event as a milestone in how the world perceives India's technological capabilities. "The question is no longer if India innovates, but who will innovate with India," the French President said.
About Bharat Innovates
Organised by India's Ministry of Education as part of the India-France Year of Innovation, Bharat Innovates is a major bilateral technology and innovation conclave. The event brings together 120 Indian startups, 15 higher education institutions, and more than 500 investors, corporates and global business leaders across sectors including AI, semiconductors, space, biotechnology, defence, healthcare, energy and climate technology.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, who accompanied Modi along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, described the event as taking place at a moment when geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change were converging. "The world seeks trusted and reliable partners. And that is what India brings to the table, the energy of the world's youngest large nation, the finest talent pool available, and a scale that few can match," he said, urging French partners to invest, design, and manufacture in India for both domestic and export markets.
India currently has over 230,000 registered startups, and the government has framed Bharat Innovates as a platform to connect the most promising among them with international capital and partnerships at scale.
The Nice inauguration is part of a broader deepening of India-France ties that has accelerated through 2026. The two countries have expanded cooperation across defence, space, nuclear energy, and digital infrastructure, and the innovation conclave is intended to add a startup and deep-tech dimension to that relationship. The event runs through June 16.
