New Delhi: As part of its outreach to global investors, the Ministry of Education organised a roadshow in Paris on Tuesday to showcase Bharat Innovates 2026. The Bharat Innovates initiative, scheduled to be held from June 14-16 in Nice, France, aims to connect India's deep-tech start-ups and higher education innovation ecosystem with global investors, corporates, universities and research institutions.
The Paris roadshow, a precursor to the main event, brought together representatives from the Ministry of Education, Government of India, Embassy of India at Paris, Confederation of Indian Industry and more than 50 representatives from different stakeholders.
Participants included the French business and innovation ecosystems such as La French Tech, VivaTech and key educational institutions in France. Senior representatives from organisations such as ESCP Business School, ESSEC, France, INRIA, École Normale Superieure, Agence Francaise de Developpement, representatives from Indo-French Chamber of Commerce, and other venture, advisory, legal, industry and start-up networks also participated in the pre-event, according to a release from the Ministry of Education.
The objective of the Roadshow was to serve as a platform to brief potential investors and partners on the scope, objectives and investment opportunities associated with Bharat Innovates 2026.
Addressing the gathering, KM Praphullachandra Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, highlighted the significance of Bharat Innovates 2026 in strengthening international collaboration, particularly in the context of the India-France Special Global Strategic Partnership.
Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, made a presentation on Bharat Innovates 2026 and outlined the opportunity for French and global investors to engage with India's rapidly expanding innovation ecosystem.
During the roadshow, it was highlighted that the focus of Bharat Innovates was on 13 frontier technology sectors, including Advanced Computing, Semiconductors, Next-Gen Communications, Advanced Materials and Critical Minerals, Biotechnology, Space and Defence, Manufacturing and Industry 4.0, etc. with an aim to strengthen the bridge between Innovators, Institutions/Academia, Investors and Industry.
The investor-focused structure of Bharat Innovates 2026 was also presented, highlighting that the conclave was expected to facilitate high-value, time-efficient engagement for global investors through curated one-to-one matchmaking sessions, sector-specific discussions and startup showcases, the release noted.
The roadshow concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session enabling participants to engage directly with the Indian delegation and explore potential partnerships in innovation, research, investment and market access.
The presence of investors, corporate leaders, academic institutions, innovation platforms, technology companies and Indo-French business associations reflected strong interest in Bharat Innovates 2026 and underlined the Roadshow's objective of building partnerships between India's higher education innovation. ecosystem and global stakeholders.
The Bharat Innovates initiative was announced by the Prime Minister of India on February 17 during the inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation, in the presence of the President of France.
Bharat Innovates 2026 is envisioned as a Global Accelerator for the Indian Education Ecosystem, taking India's university-led innovations from lab to market and from India to the world. It is being organised from June 14-16 at Palais des Expositions, Nice, France, the release said.
The Paris roadshow marked an important step in mobilising global interest and investor participation ahead of the final showcase in Nice.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.