Bharat Innovates Strategic Documents Unveiled, Showcasing India’s Growing Innovation Ecosystem

New Delhi, June 12: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday unveiled two strategic documents under the Bharat Innovates initiative, highlighting India’s rapidly expanding startup, research and innovation ecosystem emerging from higher education and research institutions across the country.

The initiative aims to strengthen the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which seeks to transform India from a knowledge-consuming nation into a global hub of innovation, research and technology-driven development.

Speaking at the launch event, Pradhan said Bharat Innovates represents a major step toward positioning India as a global innovation leader and aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of building an innovation-driven Viksit Bharat. He described the initiative as a platform that showcases the intellectual strength of India’s youth and creates strategic opportunities for collaboration between startups, academia and global investors.

The minister noted that the startups featured in the strategic documents have emerged from premier institutions, incubators and research ecosystems, reflecting the growing innovation capacity of India’s higher education sector. He added that Bharat Innovates is creating pathways for Indian startups to engage with international investment firms managing assets worth over USD 3 trillion and representing more than 12,000 investments worldwide.

According to Pradhan, the initiative has already generated strong investor interest, resulting in nearly USD 20 million in finalized and near-closure commitments. He also highlighted a series of roadshows held in Paris, Tokyo and Bengaluru to connect Indian startups with global investors and strengthen international partnerships.

The Education Minister emphasized that leading institutions such as IITs, IISc and BITS Pilani are playing a key role in driving innovation and will showcase their research and technological advancements through the Bharat Innovates platform.

He further stated that the initiative is facilitating international cooperation through mechanisms such as the Incubator Innovation Bridge and Industry Innovation Bridge, designed to connect Indian innovators with global corporations, research institutions and startup ecosystems. As part of these efforts, around 28 innovation-focused Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed with French and other international partners.

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, praised the Ministry of Education’s efforts in strengthening India’s deep-tech startup ecosystem. He stressed the importance of fostering a stronger culture of research-led innovation to accelerate the growth of globally competitive deep-tech enterprises.

The two strategic documents released include the Bharat Innovates Startup Compendium, featuring profiles of 120 high-potential startups selected from across India. The compendium provides sector-specific market insights, technology trends and global growth opportunities. The second document showcases nearly 50 cutting-edge research and innovation projects from premier institutions, including IITs, IISc and other leading research organizations.

The launch comes ahead of Bharat Innovates 2026, which will be held in Nice, France, from June 14 to 16 under the India-France Year of Innovation. The event will bring together 120 top deep-tech startups, selected from over 3,000 applicants, representing sectors such as space technology, defence, biotechnology and quantum computing.

Officials said the participating startups collectively hold more than 1,500 patents, have raised over USD 1.5 billion in funding, and include successful companies such as ideaForge and Ather Energy, underscoring India’s growing influence in the global innovation landscape.