In order to strengthen the strategic Franco-Indian partnership, which is supported at the very highest level by both the French and Indian authorities, a delegation from Paris Brain Institute went to New Delhi from the 16th to the 20th of February 2026, led by Executive Director Professor Stéphanie Debette. Accompanying Professor Debette were two scientists from the Institute: Pierre Pouget, co-leader of the Mov’it team, and Rahul Gaurav, who has been deeply committed to both developing and leading this Franco-Indian cooperation. The trip took place against the backdrop of a significant event: the inauguration of the Franco-Indian Center for Artificial Intelligence in Global Health, in the presence of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron and the Indian Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda. The ceremony took place on campus at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, which is led by Professor Srinivas.
A center that will shape the future of cooperation in AI and health
The Franco-Indian Center for Artificial Intelligence in Global Health, led by the AIIMS, Sorbonne University and Paris Brain Institute, will form and develop joint projects looking into the health applications of AI, drawing on the combination of both the expertise being brought to the table and the diversity of the populations being studied, which is essential for developing robust, inclusive algorithms.
In its initial phase, the center will prioritize brain health, through the launch of an ambitious initiative entitled “One Brain Health”. This project will be dedicated to brain health, and will be built around four pillars: jointly developing AI driven multimodal biomarkers to improve diagnosis and prediction of brain disorders; democratizing access to affordable imaging thanks to AI assisted low field MRI, as lack of access to imaging significantly contributes to brain health inequality; strengthening research skills through an international, collaborative summer school scheduled to take place in New Delhi in 2027, and contributing to guidance for the drafting of international public policies in brain health by drawing on both the expertise and contextual knowledge at the center’s disposal. The initiative seeks to reduce global health inequalities by using scientific cooperation between India and France as a driver of innovation and equality. This aligns with the dynamic being promoted by the French Presidency of the G7 2026, which has put an emphasis on reducing global inequalities and imbalances.
The delegation from Paris Brain Institute also presented a white paper on cooperation in digital health and health applications of AI, which was the result of collective work coordinated by Rahul Gaurav as well as broader reflection from the France-Asia Foundation. This document was presented to the President of the Republic at the inauguration ceremony.
Finally, Pierre Pouget introduced the start-up Neuroclues during the event, which is a start-up that has emerged from Paris Brain Institute. It uses AI to detect variations in eye movement in order to diagnose neurodegenerative disorders and provide a prognosis.
The Franco-Indian Center seeks to help reduce global health inequalities, with an initial focus on brain health, and to promote responsible and inclusive innovation in artificial intelligence.
An inauguration on the sidelines of RUSH 2026
The Paris Brain Institute delegation’s trip reflected the continuity of the Franco-Indian Declaration of Intent signed in January 2024, and it also overlapped with the India AI Impact Summit, held in New Delhi from the 16th-19th of February 2026. An integral part of this summit, the High-Level Academic and Scientific Meetings (known by the French acronym RUSH) brought together numerous French and Indian institutions at the AIIMS, New Delhi, to discuss common scientific and academic concerns. The Paris Brain Institute took the floor during a session dedicated to AI in brain health and global healthcare, alongside the AIIMS, Sorbonne University and other speakers from the two countries. During that speech, Professor Stéphanie Debette underscored the importance of international cooperation in accelerating research and promoting the emergence of useful innovations that can be used on a large scale. During the trip the delegation also met with the head of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), which is led by Professor Banerjee. Several scientific projects are currently under way with this institute. A joint master’s program is currently being drawn up, which integrates in particular the iMIND master’s from the Paris Brain Institute and Sorbonne University. This will further strengthen the academic ties between France and India.
The excellent organization and the rich medical and scientific exchanges all go to show that cooperation between the partner institutions has a lot of potential and opens up ambitious possibilities for lasting collaboration.
In the presence of (from left to right) H.E. Mr. Sanjeev Singla, Ambassador of India to France, Ms. Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary for Health in India, Professor Srinivas, Director of the AIIMS, Mr. Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Indian Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mr. President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, Professor Guillaume Fiquet, Vice-President of Sorbonne University, and Professor Stéphanie Debette, Executive Director of Paris Brain Institute.
Professor Nand Kumar, head of the Center for Advance Research and Excellence (CARE) in Neuromodulation in Mental Health; Professor Stéphanie Debette, Executive Director, Brain Institute (Paris, France); Professor Srinivas, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS, New Delhi, India); Professor Senthil Kumaran, head of the neuroimaging facility, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS, New Delhi, India).
