Research and innovation have moved to the centre of the European Union’s partnership with India under the Joint EU–India Comprehensive Strategic Agenda, adopted at the 16th EU–India Summit here on 27 January, with the mid-2026 programme cycle now being shaped by its commitments.
Endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, the agenda — titled “Towards 2030” — organises cooperation across five pillars spanning prosperity and sustainability, technology and innovation, security and defence, connectivity and global issues, and cross-cutting enablers. Research collaboration runs through the framework rather than sitting in a silo, extending to critical and emerging technologies, health, climate resilience, digital public infrastructure and clean energy.
The agenda’s most consequential science deliverable is the launch of exploratory talks on India’s association with Horizon Europe, the bloc’s flagship research and innovation programme. The first round was held in New Delhi on 6 February. Association is the closest form of research cooperation the EU extends to a non-member state; were India to join the 22 countries already associated, its researchers and institutions could draw funding directly from Horizon Europe and lead projects, in return for a financial contribution to the programme.
The new commitments build on an established foundation. The bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, first signed in 2001, has been renewed through 2030 on the strength of a positive evaluation, and Indian teams have already participated in 88 Horizon projects. The agenda layers on proposals for EU–India Innovation Hubs, a startup partnership, and a semiconductor collaboration framework covering joint research, talent exchange and resilient supply chains.
For India, the arrangement offers access to Europe’s research networks and funding instruments at a moment when both partners are recalibrating supply chains and technology dependencies. For the EU, it deepens ties with a large, fast-growing research base in an increasingly contested geopolitical environment. The practical test now falls to the funding calls and hub arrangements taking shape through mid-2026, which will determine whether the summit’s language becomes a working pipeline of joint science or a statement of intent awaiting delivery.
– Rashmi Kumari
