PM Modi to Inaugurate Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice with French President Macron

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Bharat Innovates 2026 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in Nice on Sunday, launching the three-day global deep tech showcase and accelerator initiative organised by India's education ministry on the first leg of his second Europe tour since May amid efforts to build a high-tech partnership with the continent.

This will be the first stop in his two-nation European tour covering France and Slovakia between June 13-19. The tour covers three destinations in France-Nice, Evian and Paris. The visit to France carries special significance as Modi will hold his first bilateral summit with President Emmanuel Macron since the two nations elevated their ties to a special global strategic partnership in February.

In Evian, Modi will attend the G7 Summit as an invitee, and a meeting between the PM and US President Donald Trump cannot be ruled out on the occasion. The Prime Minister will engage with world leaders present at the summit on issues of importance to India as well as to the global south. This will be India's 13th participation at the G7 Summit as an invitee and Modi's seventh consecutive participation at the event.

Nice will host more than 120 of India's leading deep-tech startups for the maiden edition of Bharat Innovates.

The mega event was announced during Macron's February trip to India as part of 'India-France Year of Innovation'.

The startups focus on 13 frontier technology themes - semiconductors, biotechnology, space and defence, healthcare and medtech, advanced computing (artificial intelligence, cloud, quantum), next-gen communications, advanced materials and critical minerals, manufacturing and Industry 4.0, energy, sustainability and climate, smart cities and mobility, blue economy, agri and food technologies, and disaster management and resilience.

France is India's top-tier and trusted partner in Europe and is globally known for its technology. The Indo-French collaboration will enable Indian startups to learn from French technological advancements and also generate funding for their future endeavours, said a person familiar with the matter.

Bharat Innovates 2026 is a global platform for innovation partnerships, showcasing India's deep-tech startups and research-driven innovation ecosystem to international investors, universities, industry leaders and policymakers. The event will also bring together more than 15 Indian higher education institutions, alongside leading academic institutions, investors and government stakeholders from across the world. The platform aims to foster strategic collaborations, technology exchange, research partnerships and global market access for India's emerging innovation ecosystem.

Modi will continue bilateral engagements in Paris, including meeting with Macron and the diaspora, besides addressing VivaTech Summit, Europe's premier technology and startup conference. India has a long association with VivaTech. The Prime Minister had delivered a keynote speech at the fifth edition of the event in 2021.