France Unveils Major Education and Healthcare Initiatives During Macron's India Visit
In a significant move to strengthen bilateral ties, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a dual-pronged strategy focusing on education and healthcare during his visit to New Delhi on Wednesday. The initiatives include an ambitious plan to nearly triple the number of Indian students studying in France and the inauguration of a cutting-edge artificial intelligence centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Education Push: Targeting 30,000 Indian Students by 2030
Speaking at the AI in Action Summit, President Macron revealed that France aims to increase annual Indian student enrolment from the current figure of approximately 10,000 to 30,000 by the year 2030. To facilitate this growth, he outlined several key measures. Visa processes will be streamlined and aligned with the full duration of academic programmes, eliminating the need for repeated renewals and simplifying the administrative burden for students.
Macron also addressed potential concerns about language barriers and educational standards. He emphasized that many advanced courses, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence, are available in English. Additionally, he clarified that France's comparatively low tuition fees are a result of robust public funding rather than lower academic standards, making it an attractive destination for quality education.
Healthcare Partnership: Indo-French Centre for AI in Health Launched
Simultaneously, Macron, alongside Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, formally inaugurated the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health at AIIMS. This 5,000 square foot facility is designed to deepen collaboration in AI-driven medical research, with a focus on critical areas such as brain health, neuroscience, and clinical decision support systems.
The centre has been established under a memorandum of understanding between AIIMS, Sorbonne University, and the Paris Brain Institute. It receives academic support from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and other French institutions. Its primary objectives include promoting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of medicine, engineering, and data science, as well as supporting joint doctoral programmes and researcher exchanges between the two nations.
This initiative builds on two years of prior joint work, particularly in neuroimaging for neurodegenerative disorders. Supported by intramural funding and a grant from CEFIPRA—a bilateral Indo-French research programme—the collaboration has involved AI workshops, academic exchanges, and neuromodulation training. These efforts culminated in the proposal for an incubation centre at AIIMS, which has now been realized as a permanent institutional facility.
Broader Implications of Artificial Intelligence
During his address, Macron discussed the wider context of artificial intelligence development, highlighting three essential pillars: computing capacity, talent, and capital. He noted that computing power heavily depends on access to affordable, low-carbon energy and cautioned that the rapid expansion of data centres must remain sustainable to avoid environmental impacts.
Calling for "AI at the service of humanity," Macron outlined three priorities for responsible AI development:
- Protecting children from unregulated digital ecosystems.
- Ensuring transparency in algorithms that shape public discourse.
- Preserving linguistic diversity in AI systems to prevent cultural homogenization.
Indian researchers echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need for responsible innovation. IIT Delhi professor Manan Suri stressed that AI systems must become far more energy-efficient as adoption increases. Aerospace scientist Priyanka Das Rajkakati highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and making complex technologies accessible to society at large.
High-Level Academic Meeting and Future Collaboration
The inauguration coincided with the Rencontres Universitaires et Scientifiques de Haut Niveau (RUSH), a high-level Indo-French academic meeting held at AIIMS. This event brought together more than 100 institutions from both countries, signaling a shift from isolated projects to structured, long-term collaboration across healthcare, higher education, and digital technologies.
Officials noted that with student mobility and AI-driven health research now central to bilateral ties, the next phase of India–France cooperation will rely as much on trained talent and academic exchange as on technological breakthroughs. This comprehensive approach aims to foster sustainable partnerships that benefit both nations in the years to come.
