A delegation of the BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI) called on Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences; Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today and discussed ways to strengthen industry-led global engagement and collaboration across the BRICS and BRICS Plus ecosystem through innovation, StartUps, emerging technologies, research collaboration and entrepreneurship.
The delegation, led by Mr. Sameep Shastri, Chairman of BRICS CCI, included Mr. Atul Bansal, Vice Chairman; Ms. Shabana Nasim, Vice Chairperson; and other office-bearers of the Chamber. The representatives briefed the Minister on the Chamber's initiatives over the past decade to promote trade facilitation, business-to-business engagement, women entrepreneurship, startup networking, Artificial Intelligence, research partnerships and sectoral cooperation among BRICS and BRICS Plus countries.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that India's growing stature as a global innovation hub and its leadership in emerging technologies provide an ideal opportunity for industry organisations to build stronger international partnerships that contribute to national growth and global development.
He said institutions working in the BRICS space should strive to create a distinct value proposition through knowledge, innovation and meaningful partnerships rather than limiting themselves to conventional networking platforms.
Referring to India's expanding innovation ecosystem, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the country has witnessed remarkable progress in sectors such as Space, Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear Energy and Deep Technology, opening new avenues for global collaboration.
He said reforms introduced over the last decade have transformed these sectors into engines of economic growth and entrepreneurship, creating significant opportunities for partnerships involving government, industry, academia and innovators.
The Minister said industry platforms such as BRICS CCI can facilitate collaborations between Indian StartUps and innovation ecosystems across BRICS and BRICS Plus countries while promoting technology-led economic engagement. Dr. Jitendra Singh encouraged the Chamber to deepen its engagement with the wider BRICS ecosystem through sector-specific meetings, innovation forums and thematic engagements.
He said sustained visibility, meaningful participation and knowledge-based contributions would further strengthen the Chamber's role in advancing India's engagement with the expanding BRICS ecosystem. The Minister also invited the Chamber to identify focused areas of cooperation aligned with India's scientific and technological priorities and develop sector-specific proposals that could facilitate productive engagement with the concerned departments and institutions.
He said domains such as startups, biotechnology, space technologies, innovation ecosystems and public-private partnerships offer immense potential for mutually beneficial collaboration. The BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry shared its ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, trade facilitation, women-led enterprises, research collaboration and business networking among BRICS and BRICS Plus ecosystem.
Established over a decade ago, the Chamber has expanded its outreach through international business forums, sectoral dialogues and collaborative platforms involving enterprises, institutions and stakeholders from member and partner countries.