The exposition is being held as a lead-up to and alongside the 18th BRICS Summit 2026, scheduled for September 12-13 under India’s BRICS Chairship.
Bharat Innovates is a national programme of the Union Ministry of Education designed as a global accelerator for innovations emerging from India’s higher education ecosystem. It seeks to build long-term collaborations between India’s innovation ecosystem—including startups, higher education institutions (HEIs), laboratories and research parks—and global stakeholders such as corporates, investors, incubators and accelerators, universities, research institutes, governments and overseas alumni.
The BRICS Bharat Innovates (BBI) Exposition at Bharat Mandapam marks the second major exposition of India’s deep-tech startups in 2026, following the maiden edition of Bharat Innovates, held in Nice, France, from June 14-16, 2026.
The BBI Exposition is showcasing 37 Indian deep-tech startups and ventures, selected from the original cohort of 120 startups and ventures that participated in Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice. The exposition aligns with the theme of India’s BRICS Chairship, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The exposition is being held alongside the BRICS Business Forum on September 11, providing participating innovators with an opportunity to network with CEOs, investors, business leaders and industry representatives from BRICS member countries.
The event is expected to facilitate B2B engagements, technology partnerships, investment discussions, business linkages and access to international markets.
The exposition also advances the BRICS Education Track priority of “Enhancing Research, Innovation and Start-up Ecosystems,” one of the five priority areas identified under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of Education Pralhad Joshi and BRICS leaders are expected to visit the BBI Exposition. Senior Indian and international delegates participating in the BRICS Leaders’ engagements, along with CEOs, investors and senior business leaders from BRICS member countries, are also expected to visit the exposition on September 11-12.
For participating startups and innovators, the BBI Exposition offers a high-profile platform to translate domestic innovation into international commercial and diplomatic opportunities. These include direct access to BRICS CEOs and investors, visibility among heads of state and government, B2B meetings, and structured matchmaking facilitated in coordination with FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM. The platform also provides participating ventures with enhanced brand visibility and diplomatic credibility.
The maiden edition of Bharat Innovates 2026 was held under the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The three-day event showcased 120 of India’s leading deep-tech startups and ventures across 13 thematic areas, with participation from 15 institutions, including IITs, IISc, BIRAC and iDEX.
The event witnessed more than 2,000 participants from 29 countries. Over 30 collaboration MoUs and partnerships were forged, while Indian startups and ventures secured funding commitments worth US$254.5 million following 1,350 B2B meetings.
The BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition builds on the Ministry of Education’s engagements under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026. The Ministry hosted the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting on August 7, 2026, and the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials’ Meeting on Education on August 5, 2026, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The Education Ministers’ Meeting concluded with the adoption of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Declaration, outlining cooperation across five priority areas: Strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy; Skill Development and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); Research, Innovation and Start-up Ecosystems; Mutual Recognition of Qualifications; and Capacity Building for Academic Leadership and Institutional Development.