New Delhi: Bharat Innovates 2026 concluded in Nice, France, marking the successful completion of a three-day international summit that brought together innovators, investors, researchers, corporations, policymakers and academic institutions from India and around the world.
The event featured technology showcases, investor interactions, business meetings, startup pitching sessions and institutional engagements, reinforcing India’s growing stature in the global innovation ecosystem.
Addressing the Valedictory Session of Bharat Innovates 2026, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal described the inaugural edition of the summit as a significant milestone for India’s innovation journey.
He highlighted the contribution of India’s higher education ecosystem in fostering research-driven innovation and entrepreneurship.
Referring to the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, Goyal said the initiative reflected the shared vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
He noted that the initiative has the potential to evolve into a transformational platform for future cooperation between the two nations.
Encouraging startups, innovators, researchers and students to explore opportunities on the global stage, Goyal said, “The world is your stage.”
He further observed that Bharat Innovates 2026 marked the beginning of a new chapter in promoting innovation and reaffirmed India’s emergence as a major global technology and startup hub.
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Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, presented the key outcomes of Bharat Innovates 2026.
He stated that the summit demonstrated the possibilities that emerge when government, academia, industry, investors and international partners work together with a shared objective. He added that while the summit had formally concluded, the effort to accelerate Indian innovation had only just begun.
An initiative of the Government of India implemented by the Ministry of Education, Bharat Innovates 2026 was designed to connect innovations emerging from India’s higher education, research and startup ecosystem with global investors, corporations, customers, research institutions and international markets.
The summit showcased 120 curated Indian DeepTech innovators and approximately 45 technology projects from 15 premier Indian higher education institutions.
Nearly 60 percent of participating startups were incubated in, or closely associated with, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and other leading educational and research institutions across the country.
More than 2,000 participants attended Bharat Innovates 2026, including over 500 French investors, corporate leaders, CXOs, researchers, innovators and institutional representatives.
Delegates from 29 countries participated in the summit, highlighting its international significance and reach.
Over the course of three days, Bharat Innovates 2026 facilitated:
- More than 1,350 B2B meetings involving startups, investors, corporates and institutional partners.
- More than 50 collaboration agreements spanning industry, academia, research and incubation ecosystems.
- Pitch presentations by over 80 startups before more than 50 global investors representing over 10 countries.
- Confirmed investor follow-up commitments for more than 40 startups.
- Approximately USD 254.5 million in funding commitments and advanced-stage investments involving Bharat Innovates innovators, including investments from the United States and Japan.
Several participating startups also secured confirmed orders and expressions of interest from French and international buyers. These developments are expected to create new opportunities for customer acquisition, international market expansion and commercial partnerships.
The final day of Bharat Innovates 2026 featured focused discussions on technology parks, startup accelerators, industrial decarbonisation and strategies for global scaling.
The programme also included a special address by Nothing Co-Founder Akis Evangelidis, who spoke about technology entrepreneurship, product development and international growth.
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Throughout the summit, participants engaged in discussions covering artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, MedTech, space technologies, defence and dual-use technologies, advanced manufacturing, energy innovation, climate technologies and global DeepTech investments.
Parallel investor pitch rooms, startup masterclasses, technology demonstrations and curated networking meetings enabled direct engagement between startups and venture capital funds, corporate venture capital firms, multinational corporations, universities, research institutions and incubation centres.
Bharat Innovates 2026 also contributed significantly to strengthening institutional partnerships between India and France. The summit created new avenues for joint research initiatives, startup acceleration programmes, talent exchange, technology commercialisation and international market access.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his inaugural address, had emphasised that innovation represents the next chapter of human civilization. In line with that vision, Bharat Innovates 2026 has advanced the objectives of the India-France Year of Innovation while strengthening India’s engagement with global innovation networks and laying the foundation for sustained cooperation in frontier technologies.
The successful conclusion of Bharat Innovates 2026 underscores India’s commitment to fostering innovation-led growth and expanding international collaboration across emerging technology sectors.
