India, France Unveil Innovation Roadmap 2030 with Focus on AI, Startups, Space and Research

New Delhi: India and France have adopted an ambitious Innovation Roadmap 2030 that seeks to expand bilateral cooperation across artificial intelligence, deep-tech innovation, research, education, healthcare, space technologies and startup ecosystems, laying the foundation for a future-oriented partnership aligned with the strategic priorities of both nations.

The roadmap, announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France, builds upon the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and the elevation of bilateral ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership earlier this year. It is designed to serve as a long-term framework for collaborative efforts in emerging technologies, innovation-led growth and scientific cooperation.

According to the roadmap, both countries view innovation as a critical driver of economic resilience, sustainable development, technological sovereignty and industrial competitiveness. The initiative aligns India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 with France’s France 2030 strategy, creating opportunities for joint investments and co-development in critical and emerging technologies.

A central pillar of the roadmap is the establishment of a partnership for “Trusted AI.” India and France have agreed to collaborate on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems that uphold democratic values and human rights while supporting innovation and sustainable development. The two countries will encourage cooperation among regulators, standards bodies and technical experts to develop interoperable and risk-based approaches to AI governance.

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The roadmap also places special emphasis on online child safety, with both countries committing to joint initiatives aimed at addressing risks posed by AI-enabled services to children and vulnerable groups. Planned efforts include work on privacy-preserving age assurance technologies, safety-by-design frameworks and outcome-based standards for AI systems interacting with children.

Another major focus area is privacy-preserving data-sharing frameworks. India and France plan to leverage complementary strengths, including India’s Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) and France’s trusted data-space initiatives, to facilitate secure and consent-based data flows for research, healthcare and public services.

The roadmap underscores the importance of academic mobility and talent development. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to expanding mutual recognition of qualifications and promoting student exchanges, dual-degree programmes, doctoral collaborations and research partnerships. France’s goal of welcoming 30,000 Indian students by 2030 is identified as a key component of strengthening people-to-people ties.

To support innovation-led growth, India and France have also committed to strengthening institutional mechanisms such as the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA) and the newly launched India-France Innovation Network (IFIN), which aims to connect innovation ecosystems, startups, researchers and industry stakeholders in both countries.

The roadmap proposes the creation of an India-France InnoXchange Bridge, envisioned as a bilateral startup and innovation corridor that would provide structured access to research laboratories, technology platforms, innovation clusters, investors and startup ecosystems across both countries. The initiative is expected to facilitate research residencies, collaborative innovation programmes and market-entry opportunities for entrepreneurs.

In the aerospace sector, the two countries plan to establish a Franco-Indian Campus for Aeronautics Training and Careers in Kanpur to develop specialised skills and strengthen cooperation in a strategically important industry. Space collaboration is also expected to deepen through joint engagements involving government agencies and private-sector space ecosystems, including coordinated international space events in India and France later this year.

Healthcare and biomedical innovation form another key area of cooperation. Building on existing partnerships involving India’s ICMR and France’s Health Data Hub, both countries will work towards scalable consent-based data-sharing frameworks and collaborative research programmes to address global health challenges.

The roadmap is accompanied by 19 agreements and declarations involving leading Indian institutions including IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Tirupati, IIT Madras and the Indian Institute of Science, alongside French universities, research organisations, incubators and technology companies. These agreements cover areas ranging from AI and advanced computing to sustainability, aerospace, mobility, entrepreneurship and scientific research.

Officials said the roadmap reflects a shared commitment to trusted, open, inclusive and human-centric innovation and is expected to drive deeper collaboration between academia, industry, startups and governments as both countries pursue technological leadership in an increasingly competitive global landscape.