India emerging as world’s innovation partner, says Goyal

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said India is positioning itself as the world’s innovation partner, leveraging its rapidly expanding startup ecosystem, technological capabilities and global partnerships to drive the next wave of innovation-led growth.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the Bharat Innovates summit in Nice, Goyal said the initiative reflects India’s ambition to transform its innovation ecosystem into a global force while building stronger international collaborations in technology, entrepreneurship and research.“While the theme of Bharat Innovates is a global accelerator for India’s education system, the real spirit is to concretise our efforts to be the world’s innovation partner,” Goyal said.

Nice, France: At 'Bharat Innovates' event, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal says, "While the theme of Bharat Innovates is a global accelerator for India's education system, the real spirit is to concretize our efforts to be the world's innovation partner. The… pic.twitter.com/WBeEOdIyzk

— IANS (@ians_india) June 14, 2026

The three-day summit, jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, has brought together startups, venture capital funds, technology leaders, academic institutions and policymakers from India, France and several other countries.Goyal said the event assumes greater significance as it is being held during the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, a landmark initiative aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in emerging technologies and innovation-driven sectors.“The year 2026, which is being celebrated as the India-France Year of Innovation, gives this initiative an appropriate setting. We are meeting at a moment when geopolitical developments and rapid advances in frontier technologies are reshaping the world,” he said.
The minister noted that technological transformation and geopolitical shifts are creating both challenges and opportunities, making innovation and international cooperation critical to future economic growth.“We are meeting at a moment when the churn in geopolitics is intersecting with the rapid transformation driven by frontier technologies,” he said, underscoring the need for countries to work together to harness emerging technologies responsibly and effectively.
Highlighting the deepening strategic partnership between India and France, Goyal said bilateral relations were elevated earlier this year to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership”, reflecting the growing breadth of cooperation across strategic, economic and technological domains.He also pointed to the expanding collaboration between the two countries in artificial intelligence and frontier technologies. Recalling recent engagements, Goyal noted that Prime Minister Modi co-chaired the AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025, while President Macron participated in the AI Impact Summit hosted by India in February 2026.
According to the minister, these engagements demonstrate the shared commitment of both nations to shaping global conversations around emerging technologies and ensuring innovation remains inclusive and sustainable.Emphasising India's growing stature as a global innovation hub, Goyal said innovation has evolved into a nationwide movement supported by more than 230,000 startups across sectors ranging from fintech and healthcare to deep technology and advanced manufacturing.Calling for stronger business-to-business and innovation-led partnerships, he invited French companies, investors and entrepreneurs to expand their engagement with India.
“To our French partners, I urge you to use this opportunity to build meaningful partnerships. I invite our French friends to visit India, invest in India, design in India, innovate in India and manufacture in India, both for the large domestic market and for exports to the rest of the world,” he said.The Bharat Innovates summit is expected to serve as a platform for forging new partnerships and investment opportunities in sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced computing, biotechnology, healthcare, climate technologies, manufacturing and space technology.

With more than 120 Indian deep-tech startups and several leading research institutions participating, the conclave is showcasing India’s innovation capabilities while seeking to connect entrepreneurs and researchers with global investors, industry leaders and academic partners.The event forms part of a broader effort by India and France to strengthen cooperation in technology, research and industrial development, with innovation emerging as a key pillar of the evolving bilateral relationship.

(Business Correspondent)