NICE, France, June 14: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday cited India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission as a defining example of the country’s growing technological capabilities, saying the first-ever landing near the Moon’s south pole in July 2023 demonstrated India’s strengths in innovation, research, and industrial implementation.
Addressing the Bharat Innovates 2026 launch, Macron said the mission had helped reshape how the world views India as a leading force in global innovation.
Stating that France sees India as a natural innovation partner, Macron pointed to the country’s demographic advantages and strong talent base.
“So why is it obvious for France to believe in that capacity to innovate in India? Well, I would say, to put it bluntly, you have the demographic dividend,” Macron said.
He noted that India’s vast population and emphasis on education and research have created a formidable pool of skilled professionals.
“A country with 1.4 billion inhabitants, a country that relies on know-how, research, knowledge, and training, produces as many engineers as Europe and the U.S. combined — more than one million per year,” he said.
Describing India as a major driver of technological advancement, Macron added, “In every respect, a country with research innovations and frontier models is spearheading global innovation.”
The French president then turned to India’s achievements in space exploration, singling out Chandrayaan-3 as an example of the country’s growing influence in cutting-edge technologies.
“If I only had to mention one example of what you can do, space is the perfect example,” Macron said.
“With the Chandrayaan-3 mission in July 2023, which enabled the very first moon landing on the south pole of the Moon and was led in record time by ISRO at a record cost, it is a demonstration of strength, innovation, and industrial implementation,” he added.
According to Macron, the success of the lunar mission has transformed international perceptions of India and underscored its role as a technology leader.
“It has led many countries around the world to see India as it is today,” he said.
Rejecting the notion that India is merely a hub for outsourced services, Macron said, “It’s not only a country full of contractors. No, absolutely not.”
“It’s a country of innovation and a disruptive force in technology,” he added.
Chandrayaan-3 is the Indian Space Research Organisation’s historic lunar mission that made India the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon and the first to reach its unexplored southern polar region. The spacecraft was launched on July 14, 2023, and successfully landed on Aug. 23, 2023.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Macron jointly inaugurated the Bharat Innovates 2026 conclave in Nice, bringing together leading startups, innovators, and venture capital funds from India, France, and several other countries.
The high-profile event marks a significant milestone in the ongoing India-France Year of Innovation and underscores the rapidly expanding technology partnership between the two nations.
The three-day innovation conclave, running from June 14 to June 16, serves as a platform to connect Indian innovators with global investors, industry leaders, and academic institutions.
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