Key Highlights:
- PM Modi visited the Bharat Innovates Exposition at Bharat Mandapam with BRICS leaders including Putin, Xi Jinping and Pezeshkian.
- The two-day expo showcases 37 Indian deep-tech startups from a cohort of 120 that featured at Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, France.
- The exposition is organised by the Ministry of Education with the Ministry of External Affairs, aligned with India's BRICS Chairship theme.
- BRICS leaders and dignitaries, including WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, attended a gala dinner hosted by PM Modi featuring a vegan menu.
- The evening included cultural performances "Navarasa" and the "BRICS Symphony," bringing together musicians from member and partner nations.
Showcasing India's Innovation Ecosystem to World Leaders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India's expanding deep-tech and innovation landscape after touring the Bharat Innovates Exposition at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi alongside fellow BRICS leaders. Sharing pictures from the visit on X, Modi wrote, "Innovation from India. Solutions for the world! Visited Bharat Innovates with fellow BRICS leaders. Proud of the energy and dedication of our youth."
Leaders Who Joined the Tour
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other BRICS leaders accompanied PM Modi during the visit, marking a notable moment where the summit's diplomatic agenda intersected directly with India's push to spotlight its startup and research capabilities on a global stage.
Why Pairing Innovation With Diplomacy Matters
Bringing heads of state from major economies like Russia, China and Iran through an exposition of Indian startups serves a purpose beyond ceremonial optics. It offers these leaders, and by extension their governments and business networks, direct visibility into India's deep-tech capabilities at a moment when the country is actively positioning itself as a hub for innovation-led economic growth. This kind of exposure can carry tangible value for the participating startups, potentially opening doors to international collaboration or investment interest that a purely domestic showcase would not generate.
The Exposition's Scale and Purpose
The two-day Bharat Innovates Exposition, which began on Friday ahead of the BRICS Summit, was organised by the Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs. It functions as a national programme designed to serve as a global accelerator for innovations emerging from India's higher education ecosystem, with the explicit goal of building long-term collaboration between India's innovation network, including startups, higher education institutions, laboratories and research parks, and international stakeholders such as corporates, investors, incubators, universities, research institutes, governments and the overseas Indian diaspora.
A Second Edition Building on Nice
This edition, styled as the BRICS Bharat Innovates (BBI) Exposition, marks the second major showcase of India's deep-tech startups in 2026, following the inaugural Bharat Innovates event held in Nice, France, from June 14 to 16. The New Delhi edition features 37 Indian deep-tech startups drawn from the original cohort of 120 ventures that participated in the Nice showcase, effectively narrowing the spotlight to a curated selection for this BRICS-linked presentation. The exposition's framing aligns directly with the theme of India's BRICS Chairship this year: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
An Evening of Diplomacy and Culture
Later on Saturday evening, several BRICS leaders and dignitaries gathered at Bharat Mandapam for a gala dinner hosted by PM Modi. Attendees included Russian President Putin, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, among other dignitaries, reflecting the summit's mix of head-of-state and institutional representation.
A Deliberately Curated Menu and Cultural Programme
The centrepiece of the evening was a specially curated vegan gala dinner, with a plant-based menu designed to showcase India's culinary diversity while reflecting broader principles of sustainability, inclusivity and mindful hospitality, themes that mirror the sustainability strand of India's BRICS Chairship agenda. The evening also featured a cultural performance titled "Navarasa: The Universe of Shared Emotions," offering guests an artistic dimension to the summit's diplomatic proceedings.
A Musical Collaboration Across Nations
Among the evening's highlights was the BRICS Symphony, titled "One Rhythm, Many Cultures," which brought together musicians from BRICS member and partner countries for a collaborative performance. Drawing on diverse musical traditions and instruments from across the participating nations, the symphony was framed as a shared artistic expression intended to capture the cultural richness and spirit of togetherness within the expanded BRICS grouping, closing out a day that combined technological showcase, diplomatic dialogue and cultural exchange under a single summit programme.
Also Read: PM Modi Pitches 10-Point BRICS Reform Roadmap
Key Highlights:
- PM Modi visited the Bharat Innovates Exposition at Bharat Mandapam with BRICS leaders including Putin, Xi Jinping and Pezeshkian.
- The two-day expo showcases 37 Indian deep-tech startups from a cohort of 120 that featured at Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, France.
- The exposition is organised by the Ministry of Education with the Ministry of External Affairs, aligned with India's BRICS Chairship theme.
- BRICS leaders and dignitaries, including WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, attended a gala dinner hosted by PM Modi featuring a vegan menu.
- The evening included cultural performances "Navarasa" and the "BRICS Symphony," bringing together musicians from member and partner nations.
Showcasing India's Innovation Ecosystem to World Leaders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India's expanding deep-tech and innovation landscape after touring the Bharat Innovates Exposition at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi alongside fellow BRICS leaders. Sharing pictures from the visit on X, Modi wrote, "Innovation from India. Solutions for the world! Visited Bharat Innovates with fellow BRICS leaders. Proud of the energy and dedication of our youth."
Leaders Who Joined the Tour
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other BRICS leaders accompanied PM Modi during the visit, marking a notable moment where the summit's diplomatic agenda intersected directly with India's push to spotlight its startup and research capabilities on a global stage.
Why Pairing Innovation With Diplomacy Matters
Bringing heads of state from major economies like Russia, China and Iran through an exposition of Indian startups serves a purpose beyond ceremonial optics. It offers these leaders, and by extension their governments and business networks, direct visibility into India's deep-tech capabilities at a moment when the country is actively positioning itself as a hub for innovation-led economic growth. This kind of exposure can carry tangible value for the participating startups, potentially opening doors to international collaboration or investment interest that a purely domestic showcase would not generate.
The Exposition's Scale and Purpose
The two-day Bharat Innovates Exposition, which began on Friday ahead of the BRICS Summit, was organised by the Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs. It functions as a national programme designed to serve as a global accelerator for innovations emerging from India's higher education ecosystem, with the explicit goal of building long-term collaboration between India's innovation network, including startups, higher education institutions, laboratories and research parks, and international stakeholders such as corporates, investors, incubators, universities, research institutes, governments and the overseas Indian diaspora.
A Second Edition Building on Nice
This edition, styled as the BRICS Bharat Innovates (BBI) Exposition, marks the second major showcase of India's deep-tech startups in 2026, following the inaugural Bharat Innovates event held in Nice, France, from June 14 to 16. The New Delhi edition features 37 Indian deep-tech startups drawn from the original cohort of 120 ventures that participated in the Nice showcase, effectively narrowing the spotlight to a curated selection for this BRICS-linked presentation. The exposition's framing aligns directly with the theme of India's BRICS Chairship this year: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
An Evening of Diplomacy and Culture
Later on Saturday evening, several BRICS leaders and dignitaries gathered at Bharat Mandapam for a gala dinner hosted by PM Modi. Attendees included Russian President Putin, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, among other dignitaries, reflecting the summit's mix of head-of-state and institutional representation.
A Deliberately Curated Menu and Cultural Programme
The centrepiece of the evening was a specially curated vegan gala dinner, with a plant-based menu designed to showcase India's culinary diversity while reflecting broader principles of sustainability, inclusivity and mindful hospitality, themes that mirror the sustainability strand of India's BRICS Chairship agenda. The evening also featured a cultural performance titled "Navarasa: The Universe of Shared Emotions," offering guests an artistic dimension to the summit's diplomatic proceedings.
A Musical Collaboration Across Nations
Among the evening's highlights was the BRICS Symphony, titled "One Rhythm, Many Cultures," which brought together musicians from BRICS member and partner countries for a collaborative performance. Drawing on diverse musical traditions and instruments from across the participating nations, the symphony was framed as a shared artistic expression intended to capture the cultural richness and spirit of togetherness within the expanded BRICS grouping, closing out a day that combined technological showcase, diplomatic dialogue and cultural exchange under a single summit programme.