SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) | Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
Nasscom officially announced the launch of its UK Forum, a new strategic industry platform designed to significantly deepen the bilateral technology and trade partnership between India and the United Kingdom. The Forum’s primary goal is to serve as the industry go-to platform to work with both governments — to accelerate bilateral trade — with technology as the key driver. This initiative is explicitly intended to support the ambitious target of doubling bilateral trade set forth under the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The launch, held at the Indian High Commission in London, received strong support from both nations, including Kanishka Narayan, Minister for AI and Online Safety, Government of the UK. The Forum will build a broad, multistakeholder partnership that includes governments, enterprises, academia, and large Indian IT players such as TCS, Infosys, and Wipro.
The platform will play a catalytic role in advancing AI collaboration between India and the UK, in line with the Technology Security Initiative (TSI). Specifically, India’s extensive experience in AI adoption and digital public infrastructure can help the UK deliver citizen services at scale. Other key areas of focus include enabling AI readiness, workforce upskilling, and SME digital transformation.
Currently, the UK remains the second-largest market for India’s technology industry, generating annual revenues exceeding USD 90 billion. Total India–UK bilateral trade stands at USD 56 billion, with services trade (driven by technology) accounting for USD 33 billion. Nasscom also unveiled a compendium, Indian Tech Impacting the UK, detailing the substantial economic and societal value Indian firms create across innovation, talent, and job creation in the UK.
What is Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)?→ Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), often referenced in the context of India’s capabilities, refers to secure and interoperable digital systems and platforms, such as digital identity (like Aadhaar) and real-time payment systems (like UPI), built and owned by the public sector to facilitate the delivery of essential public and private services. The Nasscom Forum aims to leverage India’s experience with DPI to assist the UK in scaling up citizen service delivery.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What specific policy and regulatory alignments—especially concerning data governance and skills transfer—must the Indian and UK governments prioritize to ensure the Nasscom UK Forum meets the goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030?
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