Quick Take
- Bharat Innovates 2026 takes 120 Indian deeptech startups to Nice, France from June 14 to 16.
- The event, announced by PM Modi, coincides with his G7 visit and the India-France Year of Innovation.
- Over 90 global investors managing more than $85 Bn in assets have already engaged with selected startups.
In This Article
Bharat Innovates 2026 is India’s biggest deeptech startup showcase yet. The Ministry of Education will take 120 of India’s top research-backed ventures to Nice, France, from June 14 to 16, 2026. The event is timed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France for the G7 summit and a bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.
This is not just another trade delegation. Bharat Innovates 2026 is a structured, government-backed global accelerator. It links India’s university-led innovations directly with international investors, corporates, and research institutions. The initiative sits inside the India-France Year of Innovation, which Modi and Macron jointly launched in Mumbai on February 17, 2026.
What Is Bharat Innovates 2026?
Bharat Innovates 2026 is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It is designed to take India’s top 120 deeptech ventures, all linked to higher education institutions (HEIs) or Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) like IITs and NITs, to a global audience. The event will be held at the Palais des Expositions in Nice, France, according to the official Bharat Innovates website.
Prime Minister Modi announced the initiative on February 17, 2026, at the inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation in Mumbai, in the presence of President Macron. The event’s timing is deliberate. It begins on June 14, one day before the G7 summit formally opens, giving India’s startup founders a rare window to meet global capital alongside one of the year’s most important diplomatic moments.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan described Bharat Innovates 2026 as both a national innovation movement and a global platform for collaboration. “India does not seek to grow alone but through partnership, cooperation, and collaboration,” Pradhan said at a diplomatic engagement in New Delhi in May 2026. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called Bharat Innovates one of India’s key initiatives in technology, higher education, research, and development.
StartupFeed Insight
Bharat Innovates 2026 is the clearest sign yet that India is shifting from exporting software services to exporting deep science. The fact that 1,800-plus startups applied for 120 spots signals genuine demand, not manufactured interest. The real test is what happens after the event: how many of the 90-plus global investors who attended the Bengaluru preview convert conversations into term sheets. India’s deeptech founders have historically been forced to flip their companies to the US or Singapore to access patient capital. If Bharat Innovates produces even 5 to 8 India-domiciled deeptech deals from this cohort, it will be a structural shift. Watch for the first such deal announcement by Q3 FY27, by StartupFeed Desk.
How Were the 120 Startups Selected?
More than 1,800 startups applied across all 13 thematic areas. A multi-stage evaluation process then narrowed the field. The selection was led by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, alongside experts from the DST (Department of Science and Technology), DBT (Department of Biotechnology), and the investment community.
The final 120 ventures span a range of TRL (Technology Readiness Levels, a scale from 1 to 9 that measures how close a technology is to commercial use) from 3 to 9. That means the cohort includes early-stage lab prototypes as well as products already in the market. All selected startups are associated with India’s HEI and CFTI network. This directly links the initiative to research parks, incubators, and innovation labs at premier institutions like IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, and IIM Calcutta.
A domestic pre-summit took place at IIT Bombay in March 2026, where 138 shortlisted startups pitched in a final selection round. A subsequent investor showcase in Bengaluru, organized by the Ministry of Education and the IVCA (Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association, the industry body for alternative asset managers in India), brought 24 high-potential startups before more than 90 investors. Those investors collectively manage assets above $85 Bn in AUM (Assets Under Management).
The 13 Frontier Tech Sectors
Bharat Innovates 2026 covers 13 frontier technology themes. These are the sectors the government believes will define India’s strategic and commercial future over the next decade.
| # | Sector | Example Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semiconductors | Chip design, SoC, fabless startups |
| 2 | Biotechnology | Cell therapy, regenerative medicine, agri-biotech |
| 3 | Space and Defence | Launch systems, electric aviation, propulsion |
| 4 | Advanced Computing (AI/Cloud/Quantum) | Quantum computing, AI hardware, edge AI |
| 5 | Next-Gen Communications | 5G, 6G, satellite connectivity |
| 6 | Advanced Materials and Critical Minerals | Novel alloys, rare earth processing |
| 7 | Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 | Robotics, smart factories, additive manufacturing |
| 8 | Energy and Sustainability | Clean energy, green hydrogen, water tech |
| 9 | Smart Cities and Mobility | Urban transport, EV, mobility infrastructure |
| 10 | Blue Economy | Marine robotics, ocean tech, aquaculture innovation |
| 11 | Agri and Food Technologies | Precision agriculture, food processing, agri-data |
| 12 | Healthcare and MedTech | AI diagnostics, digital health, women’s health tech |
| 13 | Disaster Management and Resilience | Early-warning systems, climate adaptation tech |
The breadth of sectors is deliberate. India wants to show the world that its deeptech story is not just about software or IT services. It spans hard science, materials, and frontier engineering.
About Bharat Innovates 2026
Bharat Innovates 2026 is a programme of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 17, 2026, at the inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation in Mumbai. The programme is designed as a global accelerator for innovations linked to India’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs), including IITs and NITs. It is organised with support from over 15 HEIs, the IVCA, and the Principal Scientific Adviser’s office. The programme website is bharatinnovates.in.
Why Global Investors Are Watching
India’s deeptech ecosystem has a well-known funding gap. Early-stage grants from programmes like iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) are available. But Series B and beyond funding for hardware-heavy startups is scarce. Most deeptech founders have been forced to move their holding companies to the US or Singapore to access patient capital.
Bharat Innovates 2026 aims to close that gap by bringing global capital to Indian founders, on Indian terms. The Paris roadshow in May 2026 drew participants from La French Tech, VivaTech, ESCP Business School, INRIA, and the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce. Each selected startup at the Nice showcase will get curated one-to-one matchmaking sessions with global investors. The format is structured for time-efficient engagement: 10 minutes per investor interaction, sector-specific panels, and live startup exhibitions.
France is a natural partner for this mission. It is India’s top-tier European ally, known globally for its technology ecosystem. The Indo-French collaboration gives Indian startups access to French technology, funding, and a gateway into broader European markets. Education Minister Pradhan stated that Bharat Innovates 2026 would specifically help Indian founders “learn from French technology and generate funds for their future endeavours.”
For founders in the space and deeptech sector, this is a significant moment. India’s first space-tech unicorn, Skyroot Aerospace, reached a $1.1 Bn valuation in May 2026. That benchmark raises the floor for what global investors expect from Indian deeptech. Bharat Innovates 2026 arrives at exactly the right moment. Founders from the cohort who secure international pilots or co-development agreements will set the pricing for the next generation of deeptech fundraises in India.
Founders who want to understand India’s state-level startup policy advantages or need to know how to legally structure a startup in India should read StartupFeed’s dedicated guides before applying to future cohorts.
What’s Next
The Nice showcase runs June 14 to 16, 2026. After the event, the Ministry of Education plans to track how many international partnerships, pilot agreements, and investment term sheets emerge from the cohort within 12 months. The next edition of Bharat Innovates is expected to be announced by late 2026, with applications likely opening in early 2027. Will India’s deeptech founders finally get the patient global capital they need, or will the gap persist?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bharat Innovates 2026 and when does it take place?
Bharat Innovates 2026 is a Ministry of Education initiative that takes 120 of India’s top deeptech startups to Nice, France from June 14 to 16, 2026. The event was announced by PM Modi on February 17 and coincides with the G7 summit and the India-France Year of Innovation.
How can Indian deeptech startups apply to Bharat Innovates 2026?
The 2026 cohort is already selected. Startups associated with Indian HEIs or CFTIs applied through a multi-stage process evaluated by the Principal Scientific Adviser and experts from DST and DBT. More than 1,800 applied; 120 were selected. Watch bharatinnovates.in for future cohort announcements.
What sectors does Bharat Innovates 2026 cover?
Bharat Innovates 2026 covers 13 frontier technology sectors: semiconductors, biotechnology, space and defence, advanced computing, next-gen communications, advanced materials, manufacturing and Industry 4.0, clean energy, smart cities, blue economy, agri and food tech, healthcare and medtech, and disaster resilience tech.
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