Nice [France], June 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday invited the French business community, investors, and innovators to work with India to provide solutions to the world.
Speaking at the inaugural event of Bharat Innovates 2026, Modi said, "We seek partnership. We seek co-development. We seek joint research. We seek shared manufacturing. And we seek long-term collaboration."
"I earnestly invite every investor, every university, every research institution, and every entrepreneur present here today. Come to India. Work together with us. Design in India. Develop in India. And create solutions for the world," Modi said.
Speaking about India before he came to power, Modi said a decade ago, the world saw India primarily as a technology adopter. However, today India is rapidly emerging as a technology provider, he said.
Bharat Innovates 2026 conclave in Nice was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron along with the officials and business community of France.
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During his address, Modi said that he applauded young Indians who are leading the innovation ecosystem within the country.
"Today, 21st century India is undergoing a period of profound transformation. India is witnessing a startup revolution. In this revolution, the youth of India, with a new mindset, are seeking solutions to problems for the benefit of humanity. Bharat Innovates serves as a platform to bring the world-class solutions developed by our young innovators to the global stage," Modi said.
He said all those who have come here chose not to follow the conventional path instead, they charted a new course and created a new direction for themselves.
"Here, you may be seeing around 100 to 125 start-ups, but India today has a vast pool of more than 200,000 such start-ups. These start-ups are now contributing with renewed energy to the growth of both the Indian and the global economy," he added.
Bharat Innovates, a three-day event, brings together Indian deep-tech start-ups, innovators, researchers and investors with global innovation funds and footprint.
It showcases India's premier deep technology at the global stage, presenting 120 pathbreaking start-ups and over 20 Institutes of Excellence, across 13 critical technology pillars of global importance. Over 350 top investors and venture capitalists from across the world are also participating in the event.
Within the European Union, France is India’s third-largest trading partner, after the Netherlands and Germany. For the year 2025-26, Indian exports to France amounted to Euros 6.1 billion (USD 7.1 billion).
The bilateral trade between India and France has more than doubled in the last decade to Euros 13.59 billion (USD 15.81 billion) in 2025-26. Bilateral trade with France is expected to grow further with the signing of India-EU Free Trade Agreement on 27 January 2026.
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France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of Euros 10.50 billion (USD 12.01 billion) from April 2000 to December 2025 which represents 1.55 percent of the total FDI inflows into India, according to data provided by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
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