A delegation from the BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI) met with Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh in New Delhi on June 29 to explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration within the BRICS and BRICS Plus economic groups. The meeting underlined the growing role of industry-led partnerships in advancing innovation, startups, and research across member countries.
The delegation was led by Sameep Shastri, Chairman of BRICS CCI and grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Accompanied by Vice Chairpersons Atul Bansal and Shabana Nasim, the group briefed the Minister on the Chamber’s initiatives which have focused on trade facilitation, fostering entrepreneurship—particularly women-led enterprises—and promoting cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence and research partnerships over the past decade.
Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted India’s emergence as a global innovation hub, noting significant strides in sectors including space technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and deep technology. He framed the country’s innovation ecosystem as a strategic asset capable of underpinning deeper international collaboration.
"India’s reforms over the last decade have catalysed transformation in key sectors, creating opportunities for partnerships that involve government bodies, industry players, academia, and innovators alike," said Dr Singh. "Industry platforms like the BRICS CCI are well placed to facilitate meaningful exchanges among startups and innovation networks across BRICS and BRICS Plus nations, advancing technology-driven economic engagement."
The Minister encouraged the BRICS Chamber of Commerce to broaden its engagement through sector-specific dialogues, thematic innovation forums and by maintaining a sustained presence across the BRICS ecosystem. He emphasised moving beyond conventional networking towards building a distinct value proposition based on knowledge, innovation, and productive partnerships.
Dr Singh also invited the Chamber to identify priority areas aligned with India’s scientific and technological goals. Proposals focused on startups, biotechnology, space technologies and public-private collaborations were suggested as promising avenues for fostering mutually beneficial cooperation involving various departments and institutions.
Founded over ten years ago, the BRICS CCI has expanded its role by organising international business platforms, sectoral dialogues and collaborative forums that connect enterprises and stakeholders from BRICS member states and partner countries. Its ongoing efforts highlight a longstanding commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship, facilitating trade, and encouraging research collaboration within this expanding multilateral framework.
This meeting reflects an evolving agenda for India within BRICS, seeking to leverage its technological capabilities to foster broader industry-led partnerships that contribute to the bloc's collective economic growth and innovation capacity. As BRICS widens its outreach with the BRICS Plus mechanism, institutional engagements of this sort could shape future economic and scientific cooperation among member countries.
By encouraging targeted, knowledge-based collaboration, Indian policymakers aim to position the country as a pivotal node in the global innovation landscape. The BRICS Chamber of Commerce’s role in this process will likely be critical as it seeks to translate sectoral innovation into practical multilateral economic impact.
