India’s growing deep-tech and startup ecosystem is taking centre stage at the BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition in New Delhi, where 37 Indian deep-tech startups and ventures are showcasing their technologies at Bharat Mandapam.
The two-day exposition, being held on September 11 and 12, is part of the programmes leading up to the 18th BRICS Summit hosted by India. It is being organised by the Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs.
The exposition brings together 37 innovators selected from an original group of 120 Indian deep-tech startups and ventures that participated in the first Bharat Innovates 2026 exposition in Nice, France, in June.
The New Delhi event is designed to give participating ventures greater exposure to international businesses, investors, institutions and policymakers from BRICS countries.
The initiative is aligned with India’s BRICS 2026 chairship theme:
“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The BRICS exposition is intended to create opportunities for Indian innovators to engage directly with global stakeholders.
According to the Ministry of Education, the platform is expected to support:
- B2B engagements
- Technology partnerships
- Investment discussions
- Business linkages
- International market access
- Structured business meetings and matchmaking
Participating startups will also have opportunities to interact with CEOs, investors and industry representatives from BRICS countries.
The exposition is being held alongside the BRICS Business Forum, providing startups with access to a wider network of business leaders and investors.
Senior Indian and international delegates, CEOs, investors and business representatives from BRICS member countries are expected to participate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and heads of BRICS delegations are also expected to visit the exposition.
The exposition advances a key priority under India’s BRICS Education Track: “Enhancing Research, Innovation and Start-up Ecosystems.”
Bharat Innovates is a national programme of the Ministry of Education aimed at connecting India’s higher-education innovation ecosystem with global stakeholders.
Its ecosystem includes startups, higher education institutions, laboratories, research parks, corporates, investors, universities, research institutions and governments.
The New Delhi exposition builds on the first edition of Bharat Innovates 2026, which was held in Nice, France, from June 14 to 16 as part of the India-France Year of Innovation 2026.
The event was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Nice edition featured 120 Indian deep-tech startups and ventures across 13 thematic areas, with participation from institutions including IITs, IISc, BIRAC and iDEX.
The event attracted more than 2,000 participants from 29 countries.
According to the source material, the event resulted in:
- More than 30 collaboration MoUs and partnerships
- Around 1,350 B2B meetings
- USD 254.5 million in funding commitments for Indian startups
These outcomes provide a foundation for expanding the international reach of Indian deep-tech ventures through the BRICS platform.
The BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition is part of India’s wider efforts to strengthen cooperation in education, research and innovation during its 2026 chairship.
The Ministry of Education hosted the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting on August 7 and the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials’ Meeting on Education on August 5 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The Education Ministers’ Meeting concluded with the adoption of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Declaration.
The declaration identified five areas for cooperation:
- Early childhood care and education, along with foundational literacy and numeracy
- Skill development and technical and vocational education and training
- Research, innovation and startup ecosystems
- Mutual recognition of qualifications
- Capacity building for academic leadership and institutional development
The deep-tech exposition directly supports the third priority by creating an international platform for Indian startups and innovation-led enterprises.
