BRICS Bharat Innovates Expo Opens at Bharat Mandapam

The Ministry of Education is holding the Bharat Innovates Exposition at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 11 and 12 September 2026. The Ministry of External Affairs is working with it on the event. The exposition runs as a lead-up to the 18th BRICS Summit, which is to be held on 12 and 13 September 2026 under India's BRICS Chairship. Its purpose is to put India's deep-tech innovations before the visiting delegations.

What is on show

The exposition is showing 37 deep-tech start-ups and ventures from India. They were picked from the original group of 120 that took part in the first Bharat Innovates. The selection follows the theme of India's BRICS Chairship, Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and the heads of the BRICS delegations are expected to visit it. Chief executives, investors and senior business leaders from the member countries are also expected on both days.

Why it matters for the start-ups

The exposition is being held alongside the BRICS Business Forum on 11 September 2026. Innovators therefore get to meet chief executives, investors and industry representatives from the member countries in one place. Business-to-business meetings and structured matchmaking are being arranged with FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM. The event also carries forward a priority of the BRICS Education Track, the strengthening of research, innovation and start-up ecosystems. That is one of five priority areas identified under India's BRICS Chairship 2026.

The first edition, at Nice

The education track behind it

Bharat Innovates is a national programme of the Ministry of Education. It is built as a global accelerator for innovations coming out of Indian higher education, linking start-ups, institutions, laboratories and research parks with corporates, investors, universities and governments abroad. The first edition at Nice was held under the India-France Year of Innovation 2026. The Ministry had earlier hosted the 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting on 7 August 2026 and the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials' Meeting on Education on 5 August 2026, both at Bhubaneswar in Odisha. The ministers' meeting adopted a declaration setting out cooperation in five priority areas.