This article covers development cooperation between India and Germany and their work together in energy, defence and security, science and technology, space, railways, skills and agriculture. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of June 2026, and all projects and figures are as that brief records them.
Development cooperation
According to the MEA brief of June 2026, German development cooperation has been an important component of bilateral economic relations for the last 60 years. Germany provides technical and financial assistance in the areas of energy, environment and management of natural resources, and sustainable urban development. Financial assistance has been provided mainly as soft loans, composite loans (soft loans combined with commercial loans) and grants routed through KfW, the German Government's Development Bank.
Key projects named in the brief include the Nagpur Metro Rail, Green Energy Corridor projects in states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and Integrated Water Transport in Kochi, alongside around 30 technical assistance projects implemented with GIZ. The Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership supports India's target of 500 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030, and the Green Urban Mobility Partnership promotes efficient public transport systems.
During the German Chancellor's visit in January 2026, new funding commitments of €1.24 billion were announced under the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP). They support priority projects in renewable energies, green hydrogen, PM e-Bus Sewa and climate-resilient urban infrastructure. Since 2022, the two countries have also worked through Triangular Development Cooperation (TDC), which pools their experience to offer projects in third countries in support of the SDGs and climate targets.
Energy
The brief describes energy as one of the priority areas of bilateral cooperation. The Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), held at Secretary level between the Ministry of Power and BMWE, promotes cooperation in energy security, energy efficiency, renewable energy, investment in energy projects and collaboration in R&D. The Forum has five Working Groups:
- Flexibilisation of Existing Thermal Power Plants
- Renewable Energies
- Energy Efficiency
- Green Energy Financing and Grid Integration
- Green Hydrogen
During the 7th IGC in October 2024, the Indo-German Green Hydrogen Roadmap was announced and a permanent Green Hydrogen Subgroup under the IGEF was established. The brief also records an MoU from the Chancellor's visit in January 2026 on deepening collaboration between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) and the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water Industries (DVGW), for knowledge sharing on hydrogen safety standards, technical rules and regulatory frameworks. An offtake agreement was also finalised for the supply of up to 500,000 tons per year of Green Ammonia from AM Green to the German company Uniper Global Commodities.
Germany was the Partner Country for the 4th Global RE-INVEST Renewable Energy Investors Meet & Expo in Gandhinagar in September 2024. Ms Svenja Schulze, then Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, led a business delegation, and the two countries launched the "India-Germany Platform for investments in Renewable Energy Worldwide".
Defence
The Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in September 2006 provides the framework for defence ties, and an Arrangement on its implementation was signed in February 2019 in Berlin. Dialogue mechanisms include the High Defence Committee (HDC) at Defence Secretary level, the Military Cooperation Sub-Group (MCSG) and the Defence Technical Sub-Group. The 18th MCSG meeting took place from 29-30 September 2025 in New Delhi.
The 12th HDC Meeting was held in New Delhi on 18 November 2025, co-chaired by Defence Secretary Shri. Rajesh Kumar Singh and Mr. Jens Plötner, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Defence. On 12 January 2026, the two leaders welcomed the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent to develop a Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap covering technology partnerships and co-development and co-production of defence platforms and equipment.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh visited Germany from 20-23 April 2026. The visit saw the signing of a roadmap on joint defence production and a new training arrangement for UN peacekeeping cooperation. With German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius he toured the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard in Kiel and held discussions on a major submarine contract with TKMS, which the brief describes as the frontrunner to build six new submarines for the Indian Navy. Mr Pistorius had earlier visited India in June 2023.
At the 11th HDC meeting in February 2024, Germany invited India to apply for observer status in the Eurodrone Programme of OCCAR. India was admitted as an observer state in January 2025 and has nominated DRDO as its lead agency for the programme.
In July 2024, INS TABAR made a port call at Hamburg, the first by an Indian Naval Ship in Germany since 2007. Germany took part in the MILAN exercise in February 2026 and in Exercise MALABAR 2025, and on 24 February 2026 the Embassy of India in Berlin hosted the 4th Defence Seminar in Nürnberg to promote defence industrial cooperation.
Security cooperation
During the 7th IGC, India and Germany concluded the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). The two countries also have a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, whose 10th round was held on 27 November 2025. At that meeting both sides condemned terrorism in all forms, including the Pahalgam terrorist attack (22 April, 2025) and the Delhi Red Fort terror attack (10 November 2025), and reiterated their commitment to cooperation in FATF and the UN.
Science and technology
The year 2024 marked the 50th anniversary of Indo-German S&T cooperation. An apex Indo-German Committee on S&T, established in 1994, coordinates the implementation of cooperation and reviews joint activities. The 12th Indo-German Joint Committee on S&T was held in New Delhi in November 2025.
India has invested in major science projects in Germany, such as the Facility for Anti-Proton and Ion Research (FAIR) and Deutsche Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), where an India-centric PETRA-III beamline was inaugurated in September 2016. So far, more than 750 scientists from India from 50 different institutes have visited DESY and performed 260 experiments (843 days in total).
The jointly funded Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was set up in Gurgaon in September 2008. A Joint Declaration signed in January 2026 automatically extends its tenure for five-year periods starting March 2027, with funding of up to a maximum of €4 million per year. IGSTC has supported 61 projects, of which 48 have been completed and 13 are ongoing. The brief states that processes have been facilitated for 6 patents and that the projects have generated 798 publications with 17169 citations.
IGSTC has also launched new funding programmes: Women Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER), Paired Early Career Fellowship in Applied Research (PECFAR) and the Industrial Fellowship Programme for young Indian researchers.
Space
An MoU was signed between ISRO and the German Aerospace Centre, DLR, in 1974. Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the ISRO campus in September 2025, where further technical cooperation in civilian space activity was discussed.
Railways
The brief notes long-standing cooperation between the two countries in the field of railways. German company Siemens is supporting the sustainable transformation of India's transportation sector. In January 2023, Siemens Mobility was awarded a €3 billion project to deliver 1,200 electric locomotives and provide 35 years of full-service maintenance, and PM inaugurated the locomotive manufacturing plant in Dahod, Gujarat on 26 May 2025. In June 2025, a Siemens consortium was awarded a $475.2 million contract by National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) for equipping India's first High-Speed rail project.
Deutsche Bahn International Operations was awarded a contract in July 2022 to manage the operation and maintenance of India's first regional rapid transit system for 12 years.
Skills, agriculture and other sectors
The brief describes Germany as one of India's important partners in vocational education and training. Areas of work include cluster-oriented structures in India, industry-oriented approaches for dual VET, an Indo-German initiative for technical education with MSDE, BMZ and Siemens, and a demand-oriented VET model for India.
In agriculture, cooperation covers areas such as cold chain infrastructure, mechanisation, livestock breeding, food safety, seed development and dairy research. The 8th meeting of the Indo-German Joint Working Group on Agriculture, Food Industry and Consumer Protection took place on 19 March 2025 in Delhi. The two countries are also working together on artificial intelligence and digital technologies, urban waste management, urban mobility and start-ups.
There are sixteen Joint Working Groups between India and Germany, which meet regularly, mostly annually, alternately in India and Germany. Their fields include Agriculture, Automotive, Energy, Coal, Tourism, Vocational Education, Standardisation/Product Safety, Environment, Water & Waste Management, Urban Development, Climate Change, Health, Traditional Medicine, Biodiversity, Railways and Migration & Return.