India and the European Union consented to commence official discussions regarding Delhi’s connection to Horizon Europe, the main funding initiative for research and innovation within the 27-member union, and to initiate a bilateral partnership aimed at startups that concentrate on advanced clean technologies.
At the 3rd EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting, which was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada, both parties also assessed advancements in digital connectivity and strategic technologies; sustainable technologies; as well as trade, investment, and resilient value chains, according to reports.
"We will begin discussions regarding India's involvement in the Horizon Europe program." Jaishankar mentioned that collaborative research initiatives in fields such as waste-to-green hydrogen, tackling marine pollution, and recycling EV batteries are currently at a pilot-scale validation and are expected to progress further.
A collaborative statement released following the meeting indicated that both parties are ready to begin official discussions regarding India’s partnership with Horizon Europe, the EU’s premier EUR 93.5 billion research and innovation funding initiative, aiming to finalize these before the conclusion of 2026.
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"This represents a significant and strategic change towards a lasting institutional framework for collaboration between the two parties, enabling Indian researchers and innovators to engage fully in the program starting in 2027," it noted. The EU delegation included Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission's Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy; Maros Sefcovic, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency; and Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.
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"When Europe and India collaborate on innovation, we not only create new technologies — we also define the future." “By linking India to Horizon Europe and engaging nearly 500,000 startups, we are establishing a partnership aimed at transforming collective aspirations into worldwide influence,” stated Zaharieva.
Highlighting the increasing aspirations of the EU-India strategic partnership, both parties consented to enhance cooperation on robust value chains in agri-food, active pharmaceutical components, and clean energy technologies.
Both parties agreed to initiate an EU-India Startup Partnership centered on deep tech and clean technologies, as well as to create the inaugural EU-India Innovation
Hub for electric vehicle charging technologies and testing. They also consented to enhance collaboration on semiconductors, advanced computing, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and 6G.
The meeting reviewed collaborative research funded by 60 million euros over four years, covering initiatives on waste-to-hydrogen, marine pollution, and recycling of electric vehicle batteries.
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Both parties reiterated their backing for the multilateral trading framework and the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
According to Virkkunen, the EU-India partnership has resulted in numerous productive discussions on AI, semiconductors, digital trust services interoperability, and startups. In collaboration with India, we will keep advancing our shared goals to foster secure, reliable, and resilient technology.
The EU-India TTC was launched in April 2022 by President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tackle issues related to trade, reliable technology, and security, while enhancing their collaboration.
The inaugural meeting of the EU-India TTC occurred in May 2023, and the second meeting was held in February 2025.