India calls for stronger global tech collaboration at BRICS meet
India called for stronger global technology collaboration at a BRICS ministerial-level science and technology meeting
The Union Minister of State for Science and Technology represented India at the meeting
India's BRICS Presidency for 2026 has adopted the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"
The remarks come as India hosts a calendar of ministerial and sectoral BRICS meetings through the year, ahead of the leaders' summit
BRICS — origin, membership, and 2024 expansion
BRICS began as an informal grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, and China ("BRIC"), with the first standalone summit held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, forming "BRICS." The bloc underwent its first major expansion in over a decade when new members were admitted from 1 January 2024, following invitations extended at the 2023 Johannesburg Summit.
Key Details
- First BRIC summit: 2009, Yekaterinburg, Russia; South Africa admitted 2010
- Expansion effective 1 January 2024: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined as full members; Saudi Arabia was invited and has participated in BRICS activities but has not finalised full membership
- Argentina was invited in 2023 but declined to join after a change of government
- Post-expansion, BRICS (with Saudi Arabia's status pending) represents a large share of global population and GDP (PPP), making it one of the most significant groupings of the Global South
India's 2026 chairship theme of "resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability" is framed for an enlarged, more heterogeneous BRICS whose expanded membership base makes technology-cooperation consensus both more consequential and harder to coordinate than in the original five-member format.
India's BRICS Chairships and the New Development Bank
India is hosting BRICS for a fourth time in 2026, having previously chaired the grouping in 2012 (4th Summit, New Delhi), 2016 (8th Summit, Goa), and 2021 (13th Summit, held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic). The 2026 chairship will culminate in the 18th BRICS Summit, to be held in New Delhi.
Key Details
- India assumed the 2026 BRICS Chairship on 1 January 2026
- Previous India-hosted summits: 2012 (New Delhi), 2016 (Goa), 2021 (virtual)
- The New Development Bank (NDB), a key BRICS institution, was established through the Fortaleza Declaration at the Sixth BRICS Summit (2014); headquartered in Shanghai with an initial authorised capital of $100 billion
- The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), also from the Fortaleza Summit (2014), is a $100 billion currency-swap facility for balance-of-payments support among members
India's push for technology collaboration under its chairship builds on the institutional architecture — NDB financing and CRA financial-stability backstops — that BRICS has developed since 2014 to support cooperation among emerging economies.
BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) cooperation framework
BRICS technology cooperation is coordinated through the STI Working Group and sector-specific ministerial tracks (covering ICT, AI, digital economy, and innovation) that feed into the annual Leaders' Summit declaration. These tracks are distinct from bilateral science and technology cooperation agreements India maintains with individual countries.
Key Details
- STI cooperation operates through working groups and ministerial meetings held through each chair country's presidency year, distinct from the annual Leaders' Summit itself
- Themes typically cover digital public infrastructure, AI governance, emerging technology standards, and innovation ecosystem partnerships
- India's own Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) stack (Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN-style platforms) has been repeatedly cited in multilateral fora, including G20 and BRICS, as a model for technology-enabled inclusion
The call for stronger tech collaboration at the ministerial meeting sits within this established STI track, feeding into the substantive agenda India is expected to present at the 18th BRICS Summit later in 2026.
- India's 2026 BRICS Presidency theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"
- India assumed the 2026 BRICS Chairship on: 1 January 2026
- India's prior BRICS chairships: 2012 (New Delhi), 2016 (Goa), 2021 (virtual)
- BRICS founding summit: 2009 (Yekaterinburg); South Africa joined: 2010
- 2024 expansion (effective 1 January 2024): Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE (Saudi Arabia's membership remains pending)
- New Development Bank: established 2014 (Fortaleza Declaration), headquartered in Shanghai, initial authorised capital $100 billion
- BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement: $100 billion currency-swap facility, also established 2014