New Delhi [India], June 14 (ANI): In a significant push to elevate the Indo-French strategic alliance, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, France, this Sunday.

Goyal made a direct pitch for deeper collaboration between France and India and said, 'To our French partners, I urge you to use this opportunity to build meaningful partnerships. And I would invite our French friends to visit India, invest in India, design in India, innovate in India, and manufacture in India, both for the large domestic market and export from India to the rest of the world.'

Against a backdrop of global geopolitical volatility and rapid technological advancement, the event serves as a platform to showcase India's thriving startup ecosystem, now boasting over 230,000 startups, as a reliable partner for global growth.

Speaking at the inaugural event of Bharat Innovates, the minister set the context amid global volatility. 'Friends, we are meeting at a moment of uncertainty, when the churn in the world of geopolitics is meeting the churn of frontier technology. At such moments, the world seeks trusted and reliable partners, and that is what India brings to the table,' he said. 'We bring the energy of the world's youngest large nation, the finest talent pool available, and a scale that few can match.'

He highlighted the ''New India,' adding that innovation is now a culture powered by over 230,000 startups. The gathering, which featured 120 startup champions, underscored the theme of 'Global Accelerator.' Minister Goyal highlighted that the current moment requires 'trusted and reliable partners,' positioning India as a stable anchor powered by its immense talent pool and youthful energy.

He noted the relationship was elevated to a 'special global strategic partnership' this year, recalling that in February 2025 Prime Minister Narendra Modi co-chaired the AI Action Summit in Paris, and in February 2026 President Emmanuel Macron stood 'beside us as India hosted the AI Impact Summit.' Their meeting in Nice, he said, 'reaffirming their shared vision for a more inclusive and innovative world.'

The initiative is central to the 2026 India-France Year of Innovation, a designation that marks the deepening ties between the two nations. Minister Goyal's address was a clear invitation to French stakeholders to move beyond traditional cooperation and into deep-tech and manufacturing integration. By leveraging India's vast domestic market and its expanding role in global supply chains, the Minister emphasised that the goal is not just partnership, but 'to concretise our efforts to be the world's innovation partner.'

As India and France look to expand joint efforts in research, education, and frontier technology, the Bharat Innovates event stands as a testament to a growing synergy designed to navigate the complexities of the modern global landscape. (ANI)