Addressing the participants of Bharat Innovates 2026, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood delivered a keynote and joined the panel discussion session on ‘Tech Parks and Accelerators as Bridges for DeepTech Scale-up’ held today at Nice, France. He was joined by panellists Dr. Deepak Bagla, Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission Official; Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay; Ms. Chloé Boscagli, Director of MonacoTech; Dr. Eduard Peris i Deprez, MD of Blockchain for Impact (BFI). In his address, Prof. Sood emphasised that the global innovation landscape is shifting from incremental improvements to science-driven breakthroughs in areas such as quantum technologies, synthetic biology, AGI, robotics, and neuro-technologies. He underscored that deep-tech innovation sits at the intersection of economic competitiveness, sustainable development, and national security, citing initiatives such as India's National Quantum Mission, BioE3 policy and IndiaAI Mission. “A scientific breakthrough cannot move from laboratory to market through capital alone. A deep-tech innovation requires a connected chain of support: laboratory research, proof-of-concept facilities, pilot validation, regulatory guidance, policy support, patient capital, and industrial partnerships.”, remarked Prof. Sood. He highlighted the potential for a Joint India–France Deep-Tech Accelerator to support technology translation, joint intellectual property commercialisation, industrial validation, and bilateral investment. Ministry of External Affairs, India | French Embassy in India / Ambassade de France en Inde