This article describes the cultural, scientific, educational and people-to-people links between India and Belgium: the cultural agreement, memorials to Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, the remembrance of Indian soldiers of the First World War, science and research cooperation, university partnerships and Indian students, and the Indian diaspora in Belgium. It is drawn from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) brief of August 2026.

Cultural agreements and festivals

According to the MEA brief of August 2026, India and Belgium have had a Cultural Agreement since 1973. An MoU for cultural cooperation was signed between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and BOZAR (Center for Fine Arts, Brussels) on 4 February 2021.

During President Shri Pranab Mukherjee's State Visit in October 2013, he and the King of the Belgians jointly inaugurated the Europalia-India Cultural Festival.

Gandhi and Tagore memorials

In October 2020, on Mahatma Gandhi's 151st birth anniversary, a statue of Gandhi was unveiled by the Governor and Mayor of Antwerp in the presence of the Indian Ambassador. The statue, a gift from the Indian government, stands in front of the Antwerp Courthouse. A bust of Gandhi has been in the Antwerp Governor's office complex since January 2013.

On 7 May 2015, a bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was inaugurated at the Literary Garden of the Katholic University of Leuven on his 154th birth anniversary.

Indian soldiers of the First World War

The brief records that more than 9,000 Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives in Flanders during World War I. To honour them, an Indian Memorial Pillar was re-installed at the Menin Gate in Ypres on 12 March 2011, and a memorial concert is held in their memory at Knokke Heist.

Gen. (Retd.) V. K. Singh visited Belgium in October 2014 for the First World War centenary commemorations. During their State visit to India in November 2017, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde inaugurated an exhibition on "India's contribution in World War I" and launched a book, "Indians in Flanders Fields".

Science and research cooperation

India and Belgium cooperate in science and technology under an MoU signed during the Belgian Prime Minister's visit to India in November 2006, which established a Joint Committee on S&T. Cooperation in specific areas is covered by the 1998 MoU on Cooperation in Space Technology, the 2012 MoU between BARC and SCK-SEN (Belgian Nuclear Research Centre) and the 2014 MoU between TERI India and VITO-Belgium.

During Prime Minister Modi's visit on 30 March 2016, the two leaders remotely activated a 3.6-meter optical telescope at Devasthal, Uttarakhand. In March 2023, the world's largest Liquid Mirror, built by the Belgian space company Amos, was inaugurated at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital.

Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, took part in the 1st Nuclear Energy Summit, co-organised by the Government of Belgium and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Brussels on 21 March 2024. Flanders Minister-President Matthias Diependaele represented Belgium at the AI Impact Summit in India in February 2026.

Education

Around 1,131 Indian students are studying at universities in Belgium, including those in Ghent, Leuven, Antwerp and Brussels.

During the 2013 State visit of Rashtrapatiji, five MoUs on education were signed:

  • JNU and University of Ghent
  • Delhi University and University of Ghent
  • Delhi University and University of Leuven
  • DU and Free University of Brussels (ULB)
  • University of Hyderabad and University of Ghent

During the Belgian Economic Mission of 2025, 6 MoUs were signed between:

  • IIFT and APEC-Antwerp Port Training Centre
  • University of Antwerp and XLRI
  • University of Antwerp and SP Jain Institute of Management
  • Hasselt University and IIS Bangalore
  • Hasselt University and IIT Bombay
  • Vlerick Business School and IMT Ghaziabad

The Indian diaspora

The brief gives the following figures for Indians in Belgium, based on data shared by IBZ, Belgium:

  • NRIs: 18,283
  • PIOs: 16,717
  • Total: 35,000, including 1,131 students

By group, the brief lists the Sikh diaspora at 15,000, diamond business professionals at 8,000, IT professionals at 9,000 and others at 3,000.

Scholarships and tourism

Readers interested in these should consult official Indian government channels.