Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 7 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and Minister of State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today held a meeting via video conference with France Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space, Prof. Philippe Baptiste, to review the expanding canvas of India-France strategic bilateral cooperation in Space and other areas of technology.
The interaction reflected the depth of the long-standing India-France strategic partnership, with both sides expressing satisfaction over the sustained momentum in collaboration, particularly in high-technology domains.
Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that India-France engagement in science and space has evolved into a strong pillar of bilateral relations, contributing to both technological advancement and closer people-to-people connect. He noted that the declaration of 2026 as the Indo-French Year of Innovation offers a significant opportunity to scale up collaboration in emerging areas.
Referring to recent developments, the Minister spoke about the strengthening of institutional partnerships between the Department of Science and Technology and leading French organisations, including new initiatives in advanced materials and digital sciences, as well as the joint call on Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence launched this year.
On space cooperation, Dr. Jitendra Singh referred to the long history of collaboration between ISRO and CNES, including joint satellite missions such as Megha-Tropiques and SARAL, and ongoing work on TRISHNA. He also mentioned cooperation on NavIC ground station development in France and acknowledged France’s support in India’s Gaganyaan mission.
The Minister further shared that India’s space sector has seen rapid expansion following recent reforms, with a growing ecosystem of nearly 400 space startups and strong projections for the space economy in the coming years, creating new opportunities for deeper industry-level partnerships between the two countries.
Prof. Philippe Baptiste, Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space, France, described India as a key and trusted partner in space and research cooperation. Recalling his earlier engagement with ISRO, he highlighted the strong legacy of collaboration and expressed interest in further strengthening cooperation across Earth observation, launch systems and space exploration.
Prof. Philippe Baptiste proposed enhanced collaboration in ocean-related data sharing through the “Space for Ocean Alliance” and suggested closer engagement between CNES and Indian institutions. He also conveyed readiness to expand cooperation in human spaceflight, including training, microgravity experiments and long-term collaborative opportunities.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to further deepen India-France cooperation in science, technology and space, leveraging innovation, research capabilities and growing industry participation for mutual and global benefit.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
