This article covers India's cooperation with Finland in digitalisation, sustainability and clean energy, science and technology, cyber security, the environment, statistics and start-ups, together with education links, Indian culture in Finland and the Indian community there. It draws on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of June 2026. The brief does not describe development assistance such as lines of credit or ITEC training in relation to Finland, so the article concentrates on sectoral cooperation and people-to-people ties.
Partnerships announced in 2021
At their virtual summit on 16 March 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced:
- a Digital Partnership in Future ICT, Future Mobile Technologies and Digital Education
- a High-Level Dialogue in education
- a Sustainability Partnership involving Renewable and Clean Energy, Circular Economy, and Sustainable Mobility
The two Prime Ministers also noted that green growth is an essential element of bilateral cooperation.
The DESI initiative
The DESI initiative was launched on 20 September 2023. According to the MEA brief of June 2026, it is a new framework for a preferred partnership between India and Finland. The brief expands the acronym both as Digitalization, Education, Sustainability, and Innovation and as Digitalization, Education & Environment, Sustainability, and Innovation.
DESI aims at a coherent and focused approach to engagement in areas including:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Telecommunications (5G and 6G)
- Quantum Computing
- developing Smart and Sustainable Energy Infrastructure
- Teachers' training
- Vocational Education and Skill Development
- Edu tech
- supporting the development of joint research and innovation projects
Digitalisation and quantum computing
A Joint Declaration of Intent on cooperation in the field of Digitalisation was signed in November 2019 between MEITY and Finland's Ministry of Economy. It covers digital development and collaboration in eGovernment, m-Governance, smart infrastructure, eHealth and e-Education. It also covers the promotion of emerging technologies such as AI, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things and Blockchain, and cooperation in Electronics Systems Design and Manufacturing.
During the visit of Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr. Mika Lintilä, in April 2022, both sides reached an agreement on setting up a Virtual Centre for Excellence in Quantum Computing. Earlier, Finland's Minister for Transport and Communications, Ms. Anne Berner, visited India on 13-14 November 2017, and Minister of Employment Mr. Timo Harakka visited from 18-22 November 2019 to explore opportunities in Smart Mobility, Digitalization and AI.
Cyber security
CERT India signed an MoU in January 2019 for collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre, Finland. It provides for the exchange of information on cyber threats and for improving capacity to prevent and resolve cyber security incidents. CERT-India and Traficom agreed to exchange information, participate in seminars and events and undertake some technical cooperation.
Science and technology
The 5th Joint Science and Technology Committee meeting at Secretary level was held in Finland on 24 September 2024. The two sides reviewed ongoing collaboration and opportunities for enhancing cooperation in Basic and Applied Research.
Sustainability and renewable energy
A Joint Working Group on Sustainability Partnership has been formed. Its first meeting was held on 12 March 2025 and its second on 15 May 2025, when it discussed potential areas of cooperation.
The 4th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on Renewable Energy was held at Joint Secretary level in virtual format on 20 August 2024. Both sides explored opportunities in Solar, Wind, Bioenergy, Flexible Power Systems and Green Hydrogen and reaffirmed their commitment to global clean energy goals.
Ministerial visits in this area include those of Shri Piyush Goyal, then Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, to Finland from 3-5 November 2016. Finland's Minister of Housing, Energy and the Environment, Mr. Kimmo Tiilikainen, visited India on 3-5 October 2017 and again on 18-21 April 2018.
Environment
The Ministries of Environment of India and Finland signed an MoU for Cooperation in November 2020, which was renewed in 2026. The brief describes partnerships since 2004 between the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on air quality, including capacity building, as successful.
Finland's Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Ms. Terhi Lehtonen, visited India from 22-24 February 2023, and a Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ms. Sari Essayah, visited from 15-17 October 2023. From India, Mr. Parvesh Sahib Singh, Minister (Irrigation & Flood Control Department), Govt. of NCT of Delhi, visited Finland on 21-25 October 2025.
Statistics
An MoU on cooperation in the field of statistics between the National Statistics Organisation and Statistics Finland was signed on 04 March 2026.
Start-ups
The brief states that India and Finland are among the top start-up ecosystems in the world and that India has emerged as the third largest start-up ecosystem after the US and China. It adds that in 2024 India added three unicorns every month, taking the total count to 51, ahead of the UK (32) and Germany (18).
An India-Finland Tech Hub has been created to bring the two ecosystems together. Indian start-up firms have participated in SLUSH since 2017, and 26 Indian start-ups were represented at SLUSH 2025, held in Helsinki on 19 and 20 November 2025.
Education cooperation
A High-Level Dialogue on cooperation in Education was held virtually at Secretary level on 31 January 2024. The two sides issued a joint statement covering cooperation in Early to Senior Secondary Education, Higher Education Student Mobility and Skill Development.
Finland's Minister of Education, Ms. Anna-Maja Henriksson, visited India from 16-20 October 2023. Earlier, Mr. Petri Honkonen, Minister of Science and Culture, visited on 13-18 November 2022. From India, Mr. Raju Basnet, Minister of Education, Government of Sikkim, visited Finland from 22-28 April 2025.
Teacher training with Punjab
The State Council of Educational Research and Training, Government of Punjab, signed an agreement for cooperation in education development with the University of Turku on September 26, 2024. Both sides agreed to cooperate in a Professional Teachers Training Programme focusing on early childhood and primary education, including insights into pedagogical approaches. A group of approx. 70 teachers from Punjab visited Turku in October 2024 and March 2025.
Indian culture in Finland
According to the brief, Indian culture enjoys significant popularity in Finland, with several Indian dance schools and yoga centres promoting cultural engagement. Various Indian associations organise regular cultural events featuring Indian dance and music in both classical and contemporary styles.
The Embassy of India organises key events such as the International Day of Yoga. A lifesize statue of Mahatma Gandhi, gifted by ICCR to the Government of Finland, was unveiled by the External Affairs Minister and Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on 20 September 2019 to mark Gandhi's 150th anniversary.
The Indian community in Finland
As of the brief, there were approximately 33,445 persons of Indian origin living in Finland, comprising around 15,115 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and 18,330 Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs). Most live in the capital, Helsinki, and the surrounding regions. The brief states that a significant number of the Indian diaspora are engaged in the Information Technology (IT) sector.