May 31, 2024

Today, a delegation from French Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence (IHEDN)led by Maj. Gen. (Ms.) Leger Ep Plessix, Director of National Session Department visited ISRO, Bengaluru. The delegation was composed of leaders from various sectors such as industry, high-level civil officials, bankers, media representatives, and CEOs of companies, and was accompanied by officials from French Embassy at New Delhi and French Consulate at Bengaluru. They met with the Associate Scientific Secretary, directors of various program offices, and senior officials at ISRO/DOS.

The ISRO/DOS team welcomed the delegation and recalled the historical collaboration between India and France, the positive effects observed from the Indian space sector reforms, and the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy. A detailed presentation on the Indian space program, current activities and future plans and international cooperation with a focus on the successful India-France space cooperation was made to the delegation.

This was followed by an engaging interaction session covering various aspects, including collaboration at agency, industry, and academic levels; contributions of the Indian industry to the Indian Space Programme; availability of navigational services and sharing of Earth observation data; application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) techniques in space activities; cybersecurity measures; and opportunities for the industry in upstream activities.

The French delegation expressed gratitude for the insights shared. Both sides highlighted the importance of this interaction for exploring possibilities for further collaboration of mutual importance.