Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated the Bharat Innovates 2026 summit in Nice [1].
The event marks a strategic shift in bilateral relations by prioritizing the co-creation of technology between French interests and the Indian startup ecosystem. This cooperation aims to accelerate breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and climate change mitigation.
During the summit, President Macron said the two nations are true partners in the fields of AI and climate [2]. He said that India is currently spearheading global innovation and that the focus has shifted toward who will partner with the country to innovate [3].
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the scale of India's entrepreneurial landscape as a primary driver for this collaboration. He said India's mega pool of around 200,000 startups will drive this collaboration [4].
The summit serves as a platform for French entities to engage directly with Indian innovators. Both leaders said the partnership is designed to address critical global challenges through shared technological advancements, specifically targeting sustainable development and digital transformation.
Macron said that India and France share a strong partnership in critical sectors such as artificial intelligence and climate change [2]. The joint effort seeks to integrate Indian agility in software and services with French industrial and research capabilities.
“The question is no longer whether India innovates. The question is who will innovate with India.”
The Bharat Innovates summit signals a transition from traditional buyer-seller relations to a 'co-creation' model. By leveraging India's massive startup volume and France's technological infrastructure, the two nations are attempting to build a non-US and non-Chinese axis for AI and green technology development.
