India, France exploring stronger cooperation in tech, innovation under PM Modi's leadership: Piyush Goyal
New Delhi, June 16
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that India-France partnership is gaining fresh momentum across technology, innovation and strategic sectors under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while inviting French businesses and investors to partner in India's growth story.
In a post on X, Goyal said he attended a dinner hosted by noted jurist and IIT Delhi Board Chairperson Harish Salve, where he interacted with industry leaders from India and France, members of academia, researchers and innovators.
The India-France relationship has gained fresh momentum under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, with cooperation expanding across strategic, economic, technology and innovation sectors, the minister said.
In addition, he urged French companies and investors to become part of India's growth journey and work together towards a more prosperous and sustainable future for both nations.
During his visit to France, Goyal toured Sophia Antipolis, Europe's largest science and technology hub, as part of efforts to strengthen India's deep-tech engagement with European markets.
Describing it as Europe's Silicon Valley, the minister said the technology park offers a successful model of how research, talent and enterprise can come together to drive innovation and economic growth. The hub is home to more than 2,600 companies operating across a wide range of advanced technology sectors.
Goyal said India is steadily emerging as a global centre for innovation and manufacturing and invited industry leaders at the technology park to explore opportunities for investment, collaboration and scaling up operations in the country.
He noted that India's innovation ecosystem is creating new avenues for partnerships and co-development of technologies that can benefit not only India and France but also the wider global community.
In Nice, the minister also met local leaders and representatives from government, business, innovation and investment circles to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in technology and innovation.
Goyal highlighted that Nice is hosting Bharat Innovates 2026 at the Palais des Expositions, an event showcasing India's deep-tech capabilities through the participation of 120 startups and more than 20 Institutes of Excellence across 13 technology domains.
According to the minister, the event has attracted over 350 global investors and venture capitalists, reflecting growing international interest in India's expanding innovation and startup ecosystem.
— IANS
Reader Comments
PM Modi's push for global partnerships is clearly paying off. When a minister goes and meets industry leaders at Europe's "Silicon Valley", it shows India is being taken seriously. But I worry about our own tech hubs like Bengaluru losing talent to these collaborations. Need more domestic investment too.
India emerging as innovation hub is great, but I'm tired of these press releases. We need to see concrete outcomes—French companies setting up R&D centers, joint patents, technology transfer. 350 investors at Bharat Innovates 2026 is impressive, but let's convert that into actual funding for our startups. Talk is cheap, action speaks.
As someone who works in tech, this is exciting news. France has amazing deep-tech expertise in AI, semiconductors, and green tech. India's strength in IT services and manufacturing complement that well. Hope both sides move beyond tokenism and create real cross-border innovation pipelines. Kudos to the team for the outreach.
Good diplomatic move, but I'm skeptical about the actual impact. India-France friendship is old—we buy their Rafale jets and nuclear tech. But when it comes to innovation, our startups still struggle with basic infrastructure and funding. Let's first fix the domestic ecosystem before exporting our story. Just my two paise.
Impressive to see India leveraging its G20 presidency momentum. Piyush Goyal's visit to Sophia Antipolis is smart—learning from a successful tech park model. But will the French actually invest given India's complex bureaucracy? The 350 investors at Bharat Innovates 2026 is a good start, but execution matters more than hype.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.