Union Minister for Education, Shri Pralhad Joshi, held a bilateral meeting with Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space of France, H.E. Philippe Baptiste, in New Delhi today. The two Ministers discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between India and France in education, research, innovation, academic mobility and institutional partnerships.

Welcoming the French Minister and his delegation, Shri Pralhad Joshi highlighted the longstanding India-France partnership and emphasised that cooperation in education was an important pillar of the bilateral relationship. He said that the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 provided a timely opportunity to further deepen collaboration in education, research and innovation.

During the meeting, the two sides deliberated on the potential engagements in the field of higher education including strengthening institutional linkages; mobility of students, faculty and researchers; and expanding opportunities for collaborative academic programmes and exchanges. They also explored greater cooperation in life sciences, social sciences and humanities, with emphasis on institutional interaction, collaborative academic activities and research.

The Ministers exchanged views on further promoting knowledge partnerships between the two countries and discussed opportunities to build upon existing institutional collaborations and create new avenues for joint academic and research initiatives. French Higher Educational Institutions were invited to explore opening of branch campuses in India including in GIFT City, Gujarat and also at places where French companies were located and required technical human resources.

Acknowledging the importance of people to people ties, the two sides explored opportunities to strengthen language learning and teacher education, share academic expertise and promote technology-enabled learning. The discussions also covered ongoing revision of the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ) Agreement between India and France, sharing experiences and best practices in digital education and leveraging technology to expand access to quality learning.

The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to further deepen India-France cooperation in higher education, innovation, language education and digital learning.

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