New Delhi, Bharat Innovates 2026 aims to carry research and development-driven innovations from every corner of the country to the global stage, showcasing cutting-edge technologies while unlocking investment opportunities and building enduring global partnerships, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Sunday.
Pradhan was addressing the Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit at IIT Bombay.
The summit, organised on March 21-22 as a national precursor to the Bharat Innovates 2026 global showcase in France, brought together 137 promising deep-tech start-ups selected from over 3,000 applications received from across the country.
The selected start-ups will now move forward to represent India’s deep-tech ecosystem at the upcoming Bharat Innovates 2026 in France, further strengthening India’s position as a global hub for technology-driven innovation.
“Bharat Innovates 2026 aims to carry R&D-driven innovations from every corner of the country to the global stage, showcasing cutting-edge technologies while fostering meaningful collaboration, unlocking investment opportunities, and building enduring global partnerships,” Pradhan said.
He observed that India is uniquely positioned to develop solutions not just for itself, but for the world, especially for countries seeking cost-effective and scalable innovations.
The minister added that such platforms enable the convergence of ideas, talent, and resources, thereby accelerating the pace of innovation.
Pradhan emphasised that innovation must move from labs to markets to create real impact. He expressed confidence that the innovations showcased at Bharat Innovates will contribute significantly to India’s journey towards global leadership especially Global South in technology and entrepreneurship.
On the sidelines of the pre-summit, around 175 investors and industry leaders participated in a roundtable chaired by the education minister.
Pradhan also interacted with innovators across diverse sectors including, energy, climate and sustainability, semiconductors, space and defence, healthcare and medtech, advanced computing, biotechnology, mobility and smart cities and industry 4.0, showcasing cutting-edge research-driven solutions during a walkthrough of the exhibition stalls and IIT pavilion.
He said that as a precursor to Bharat Innovates 2026 to be organised in Nice, France, the brainstorming session centred on advancing deep-tech innovation, strengthening industry-academia partnerships and reinforcing the start-up ecosystem.
He underscored the need for sustained investment in emerging ventures to enable scale, encourage innovation, and support research-led entrepreneurship.
The event featured additional start-up pitching sessions conducted across multiple parallel rooms, where founders presented cutting-edge innovations spanning advanced materials, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, clean technologies, and next-generation manufacturing systems.
These sessions were attended by investors, industry leaders, and key stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem evaluating opportunities for collaboration and investment.
The event also featured interactions between start-ups, venture capital firms, and industry representatives, fostering meaningful partnerships and enabling start-ups to explore pathways for commercialization and global market expansion.
