NEW DELHI — Elevating their bilateral relationship to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership,” India and France have officially adopted the India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030. The comprehensive framework aims to secure technological sovereignty, co-develop critical and emerging technologies, and expand academic and research mobility between the two nations.
The initiative builds directly upon the Horizon 2047 Roadmap and leverages strong convergences between India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and the France 2030 industrial ambition.
Four Key Pillars of the 2030 Roadmap
1. Partnership for ‘Trusted AI’
Positioned as a central pillar of the bilateral alliance, the two nations will collaborate on establishing interoperable, risk-based AI governance architectures that align with democratic values and human rights. Key focus areas include:
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Child Safety Online: Establishing a priority engagement group to develop privacy-preserving age assurance and safety-by-design architectures for AI systems interacting with minors.
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Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing: Creating secure, consent-based data flows by finding complementary strengths between India’s Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) and France’s trusted health data platforms.
2. Enhanced Academic Mobility
To prepare future generations for global challenges, France has reaffirmed its commitment to welcoming 30,000 Indian students by 2030.
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The countries will expand and update the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ) framework—originally signed in 2018—to encompass a broader spectrum of emerging technology domains, dual-degree programs, and doctoral co-supervisions.
3. Industry-Academia Linkages & Technological Sovereignty
Both nations seek to build resilient supply chains and accelerate market-ready technologies through several key bilateral channels:
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The India-France Innovation Network (IFIN): A newly launched ecosystem to connect startups, universities, and research clusters under a joint steering committee.
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Franco-Indian Campus for Aeronautics Training: To be established in Kanpur in partnership with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to build a strategic aerospace talent pipeline.
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The India–France InnoXchange Bridge: A dedicated research and entrepreneurship corridor granting startups reciprocal access to investors, labs, and soft-landing platforms.
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Space Ecosystem Synergy: Institutionalizing collaboration across private space sectors. The roadmap outlines a coordinated space week in September, aligning the Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX) with the International Space Summit in Paris to focus on Earth observation and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space stations.
4. Health and Global Challenges
Building on a pilot project between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and France’s Health Data Hub (HDH), the two sides will develop scalable, secure data-sharing architectures for public-interest research, with an intent to share these frameworks with partners in the Global South.
Annexure: Key Academic & Institutional Institutional MoUs Signed
The roadmap is backed by 19 major agreements involving premier Indian institutes like the IITs and IISc alongside top French entities. Notable partnerships include:
| Indian Institution | French Partner / Entity | Nature of Cooperation |
| IIT Bombay | Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP) & Paris-Saclay University | Amendments to boost translation, incubation, and acceleration. |
| IIT Delhi | Institut Mines-Télécom | Academic and scientific exchange in education and research. |
| IIT Delhi & FITT | Racines de France & DDI Incubator | Entrepreneurship partnerships focusing on Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Change. |
| IIT Gandhinagar | Comuto SA / BlaBlaCar | Research collaboration in AI, smart transportation, and mobility ecosystems. |
| IIT Tirupati | Safran Electronics & Defense | Strategic partnership to build a national ecosystem in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT). |
| IITs, IISc Networks | UDICE Networks | Declaration of Intention to promote institutional scientific research. |
| IIT Hyderabad | Crimson Energy Experts & Dassault Systèmes | Collaboration on 3D computing systems. |
| IIT Madras | CentraleSupélec, ESCP Business School, UNILIM, UTC, Clermont Auvergne INP, Mines Saint-Étienne | Renewal and establishment of student exchange and academic agreements. |
| IISc Bengaluru | Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) | Comprehensive memorandum of understanding for scientific collaboration. |
| CYRAN AI | Safran Aircraft Engines | Industrial-academic AI collaboration. |
“India and France will pursue this Roadmap as a partnership guided by mutual trust, shared democratic values, strategic autonomy, and a common commitment to trusted, open, inclusive and human-centric innovation.”
