Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is set to lead discussions at the Bharat Innovates deep-tech pre-summit at IIT Bombay, involving over 200 startup founders and investors. The event, spanning two days, will showcase 137 promising deep-tech startups selected from a pool of over 3,000 applications nationwide. The initiative, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the India-France Year of Innovation inauguration, is a flagship program of the Ministry of Education operating under the guidance of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
The Bharat Innovates program aims to serve as a global accelerator for Indian deep-tech, fostering connections between India’s higher education innovation ecosystem and global stakeholders like corporates, investors, and universities. Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council, will be present at the inaugural session. The event will also witness the participation of senior government officials, academicians, and entrepreneurs.
Bharat Innovates 2026 unfolds through three key milestones: National Basecamp in Gandhinagar and Mumbai in December 2025 and January 2026, the Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit at IIT Bombay in Mumbai on March 21–22, 2026, and the International Innovation Showcase in Nice, France from June 14–16, 2026. The Pre-Summit will bring together a diverse group including startup founders, investors, industry leaders, government stakeholders, and innovation missions.
The Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit will highlight innovations across 13 crucial technology domains, encompassing areas like Advanced Computing, Healthcare, Space and Defence, Energy & Sustainability, Biotechnology, Smart Cities, and Disaster Management. These innovations, nurtured within India’s premier institutions such as IITs and IISc, signify the emergence of globally competitive technologies from India’s academic landscape.
