At the inauguration of Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, France, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that the Indo-French relationship has evolved beyond traditional diplomacy into a "deep reality." Speaking alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Macron emphasized that India's role as a global powerhouse is now central to France's strategic, industrial, and academic vision for the 21st century.
Energy and Climate Cooperation
Macron stated, "Our partnerships have been transforming, and India has become a deep reality. We have to work to improve the situation, to come up with more decarbonised energy, and to continue cooperating in terms of research and observation to be able to have an open science." Beyond the International Solar Alliance, the two nations are exploring nuclear energy cooperation, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to ensure decarbonised power and energy self-reliance. Macron highlighted the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), launched by PM Modi in 2019, which promotes resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks.
Health Sector Collaboration
Building on the 2023 French-Indian campus in life sciences, Macron announced the launch of a new "health club" for cooperation. This includes partnerships between Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to combat microbial resistance, alongside new AI-driven research centres at AIIMS (Delhi) and Sorbonne University. Macron noted, "In 2023, we launched the French Indian campus in life sciences and health, producing great outcomes in terms of research and shared knowledge. We are going to launch a health club for cooperation."
Space and Aerospace Partnership
With over 60 years of collaboration, the focus is shifting to Earth observation. Macron highlighted the long-standing and evolving space partnership, mentioning TRISHNA (Thermal Infrared Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment), an upcoming collaborative Earth-observation satellite between ISRO and CNES. "The next satellite, Trishna, which is underway, is going to be launched in India next year, providing precise measures of the surface temperature of the world, improving our capacity to handle the water resources," he said. Macron also noted India's major role in the airspace global summit in September 2026 in Paris.
Economic and Academic Ties
Macron highlighted the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a multi-modal connectivity project linking India to Europe via ship-to-rail transit networks, and called for a push for a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. Regarding human capital, Macron set a target of 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030 and announced a new National Centre for Excellence in Aeronautics in Kanpur. He also urged a strategic pivot for the 40-year-old CEFIPRA to focus on modern challenges like Artificial Intelligence, green hydrogen, and quantum computing.
Prime Minister Modi's Remarks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India's economic attractiveness, stating, "The conversations at Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice were enriching and insightful. Engaged with investors and venture capital leaders on the immense opportunities India offers across innovation, technology, manufacturing and emerging sectors. India's growth is powered by talent, scale, stability and reform, making it an attractive destination for investment and innovation."
