PM Modi reflects on India-France relations as he jointly inaugurated the Bharat Innovates conclave with Macron | Today’s news
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated the ‘Bharat Innovates 2026’ conclave in Nice, France on Sunday.
The conclave aims to bring together leading startups, innovators and venture capital funds from India, France and several other countries. Bringing together leading startups from India, France and countries around the world, the event marks a major step forward in the India-France Year of Innovation and underlines the deepening technological cooperation between Delhi and Paris.
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The three-day innovation conclave, which runs from June 14 to June 16, serves as a powerful platform to connect Indian innovators with global investors, industry leaders and academic institutions, ANI reported.
Macron welcomes PM Modi to France
French President welcomed PM Modi to France. Inaugurating the event, he said: “It is a great honor, dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to welcome you here in Nice. A few months ago, we jointly launched the ‘Franco-Indian Year of Innovation’ in Mumbai.”
He added: “India, a nation driven by research and innovation, is at the forefront of global innovation. And if I had to cite just one example of what you can do, the space sector stands out as the best example. With the Chandrayaan-3 mission, the landing at the South Pole of the Moon was achieved in record time, demonstrating India’s strength and innovation capabilities…”
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Prime Minister Modi reflects on Indo-French relations
Addressing innovators and venture capitalists at the event, Prime Minister Modi reflected on India-France relations. He noted, “Different countries around the world trade with each other and also enter into strategic partnerships with each other. But there are few relationships that are driven by a common vision, apart from shared interests. The India-France relationship is one such bond.”
Noting that Macron had said during his visit to India that to address the challenges of this century, New Delhi and Paris will have to step together, PM Modi added, “I can proudly say today that this initiative is a step forward in that direction. This ‘Bharat Innovates’ platform becomes a bridge between Indian talent and European capital – a platform where Indian young minds get an opportunity to connect with European brains.”
PM Modi is warmly welcomed in Nice
Prime Minister Modi received a warm welcome from Macron in Nice, where the two leaders greeted each other with a hug and handshake ahead of their key bilateral meeting and joint launch of the Bharat Innovates 2026 conclave.
Before jointly inaugurating the conclave, PM Modi interacted with investors, venture capitalists and leaders of the innovation ecosystem in Nice. Among those he met were OYO Rooms CEO Ritesh Agarwal and Indian entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala, along with several global investors and innovation ecosystem leaders.
Bharat Innovates 2026
Bharat Innovates is an initiative of the Ministry of Education and includes 120 Indian innovators, 15 different Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and more than 500 investors, including leading corporates and venture capital firms, along with global CEOs and industry leaders. The event will cover 13 key sectors such as advanced computing, semiconductors, space technology, biotechnology, energy, healthcare and manufacturing, highlighting India’s growing innovation and deep technology ecosystem.
The three-day conclave will focus on cutting-edge innovation in forward-looking areas such as advanced computing, semiconductors, space technology, defense innovation, biotechnology, healthcare and climate solutions.
According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the first edition will deeply introduce New Delhi’s technology innovators and startups to global investors and industry leaders in France. The event will serve as a high-impact platform for deepening innovation-led partnerships between India and global stakeholders.
