This article covers cultural exchanges between India and France, Indian students in France, cooperation in science and research, and the Indian community in France and its overseas territories. It is based on the MEA brief of July 2026, and figures are given as of that brief.

Cultural cooperation

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, India operationalised the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) in Paris on March 26, 2026. The inaugural event was attended by Ms. Eléonore Caroit, French Minister Delegate for Europe and Foreign Affairs, as Chief Guest. It opened with the centre's first exhibition, L'art de l'Inde d'aujourd'hui (Living Arts of India), an anthology of more than 80 art works by 40 artists from India and beyond.

The SVCC organises cultural events and offers classes in Yoga, Hindi language, Indian classical music and Indian classical dances. The brief adds that many Indian artists perform in France on a commercial basis or at the initiative of local cultural associations.

In May-June 2026, one French sculptor and one French painter were sent to Jaipur for a ten-day art residency sponsored by ICCR. Some of their work was shown at Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and President Macron.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visited France on 26-28 September 2025 and met the French Minister of Culture, Ms. Rachida Dati. They discussed collaboration on the transcription and translation of manuscripts, and in the field of museums, particularly the ongoing cooperation on the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum Project.

Festivals and film

The Festival of India, Namaste France 2023, was held at La Seine Musicale in Paris on 6-9 July 2023. It featured 18 concerts, 16 workshops and seven panel discussions, along with a craft bazaar, a tribal paintings exhibition and a photo exhibition on the Rabari nomadic tribe. The brief states that the next edition of Namaste France will be hosted in 2028 to mark 30 years of the India-France strategic partnership.

Several French cities host Indian cultural festivals, including:

  • Namaste Nantes
  • the India Carnival at Val-de-Reuil
  • Desi Week in Bobigny
  • the Indian Festival in Grigny
  • Happy Inde in Nice
  • Ganga Sur Seine (Film Festival) in Paris

India sets up a pavilion every year at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was the Country of Honour in 2022. In October 2025, India took part in MIPCOM 2025 in Cannes, an annual international trade show for the television industry, with a pavilion under the WAVES (World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit) banner covering films, OTT platforms, animation and gaming.

Museums and heritage

Building on an agreement signed in December 2024 between the National Museum in Delhi and France Muséums Développement, the two countries are working to establish the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum. Discussions are ongoing on cooperation for the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal.

To mark 30 years of the strategic partnership in 2028, a cultural year dedicated to India will be held at the French National Museum of Asian Arts (Musée Guimet), and an exhibition on contemporary Indian photography will take place at the Musée du Quai Branly.

Indian students in France

As of the brief, the number of Indian students in France is estimated at about 10,000, with a target of 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030. Most Indian students who go to France each year study business management. The brief notes that, with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, French university campuses are being welcomed in India.

In September 2024, the French government started international classes in about 35 French universities and schools. The programme is usually spread over two semesters and allows students who do not speak French to reach B2 level. There is no entrance exam. After completing the international classes, students can be offered direct admission into French-taught undergraduate programmes, and scholarships.

During President Macron's visit to India in February 2026, a two-day academic meeting named RUSH (Rencontres Universitaires et Scientifiques de Haut Niveau) was held at AIIMS, New Delhi. It reviewed initiatives such as the Franco-Indian Health Campus, International Classes and vocational training programmes, and discussed quality assessment frameworks, international student mobility, UGC regulations and alignment with the National Education Policy.

Science and research

The brief describes cooperation in science and technology ranging from health, digital, energy and oceans to applied mathematics. Linkages exist between MoES, MeITY, DST, DBT and CSIR on the Indian side and ANR, CNRS, INSERM, INRIA and Institut Pasteur on the French side. The India-France Joint Committee on Science and Technology held its second meeting in January 2024, when an MoU between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and L'Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) was signed.

The Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA), registered in 1986, runs programmes that include:

  • Collaborative Scientific Research Programme (CSRP)
  • Industry-Academia Research Development Programme (IARDP)
  • Raman-Charpak Fellowship Programme
  • Indo-French Programme for Women in Science (PROWIS)
  • Indo-French Emerging Project Partnership Programme
  • High Impact Scientific Research Network Programme

Over 250 fellows have been supported under the Raman-Charpak Fellowship since its launch, and 16 women scientists under PROWIS since its launch in 2022. The 39th Governing Body meeting of CEFIPRA was held in January 2026 in Paris. The year 2026 also marks the 40th anniversary of CEFIPRA.

During President Macron's visit in February 2026, DST and CNRS signed a Letter of Intent to establish a Centre on Advanced Materials and an MoU for scientific collaboration. A Joint Declaration of Intent on establishing an Indo-French Centre for Digital Sciences and Technology was also signed.

The Indian community in France

The brief estimates the Indian diaspora in mainland France at about 119,000, largely originating from the former French colonies of Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandernagore, and from the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Punjab. There are over 50 Indian community organisations active in France.

The estimated Indian-origin population in the French Overseas Territories is over 350,000:

  • Reunion Island: over 300,000
  • Guadeloupe: over 57,000
  • Martinique: over 8,000
  • Saint Martin: over 1,900