India and France have adopted the India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030, a comprehensive framework aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), research, innovation, education, healthcare, space and emerging technologies.
The roadmap was announced following bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. The initiative builds on the two countries’ decision to elevate their ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership” and launch the India-France Year of Innovation 2026.
Trusted AI takes centre stage
A key pillar of the roadmap is the creation of a partnership around “trusted AI”, with both countries committing to promote safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems aligned with democratic values and human rights.
India and France will work together on AI governance frameworks, cooperation between regulators and standards bodies, and the development of interoperable, risk-based approaches for frontier and generative AI models.
The two nations have also identified child safety online as a priority area. They plan to collaborate on privacy-preserving age assurance technologies, safety-by-design architectures and outcome-based safety standards for AI systems interacting with children.
Focus on data-sharing frameworks
Recognising the importance of data in driving AI innovation, both countries will explore privacy-preserving and consent-based data-sharing frameworks.
The roadmap highlights complementarities between India’s Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) and France’s trusted data spaces and health data platforms, with the objective of enabling secure data flows for research, healthcare and public services.
Academic mobility to receive a boost
India and France have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening academic and research cooperation, with a focus on STEM education, talent mobility and institutional partnerships.
The two sides reiterated support for France’s goal of welcoming 30,000 Indian students by 2030 and expressed intent to expand the existing Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ) framework signed in 2018.
An updated framework is expected to cover a wider range of academic disciplines, regulated professions and emerging technology domains, facilitating greater academic mobility, dual-degree programmes and doctoral collaborations.
Industry-academia collaboration gains momentum
The roadmap seeks to strengthen linkages between governments, industries, startups, universities and research institutions to foster innovation-led growth and resilient supply chains.
Both countries underscored the role of the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA) and the newly launched India-France Innovation Network (IFIN) in driving collaborative research and technology development.
The roadmap also envisages closer engagement between startup ecosystems through the proposed India-France InnoXchange Bridge, which would provide innovators and entrepreneurs with access to research laboratories, technology platforms, investors and innovation clusters in both countries.
In addition, India and France will establish a Franco-Indian Campus for Aeronautics Training and Careers in Kanpur in partnership with India’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Space cooperation set for expansion
The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the space sector, both at the institutional level and among private space enterprises.
As part of these efforts, India and France will host two major international space events in September this year — the Bengaluru Space Expo in India and the International Space Summit in Paris.
The roadmap also outlines opportunities for collaboration in Earth observation, human spaceflight, low-Earth orbit infrastructure and future space station-related activities.
Health innovation and global challenges
India and France will expand collaboration in healthcare through AI-enabled and research-driven solutions.
Building on ongoing cooperation between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and France’s Health Data Hub, the two countries will work on consent-based architectures for secure data sharing. These frameworks could later be adapted for additional sectors and shared with partners in the Global South.
Strategic partnership for future technologies
The India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030 aligns India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision with France’s France 2030 strategy. Both countries said the framework would help advance co-development in critical and emerging technologies, strengthen trusted technology ecosystems and create new opportunities for innovation-led investment and growth.
The roadmap positions innovation as a key driver of economic resilience, technological sovereignty and sustainable development, while laying the foundation for deeper collaboration across AI, research, education, healthcare, startups and space technologies.