The Spain-India Council Foundation and the Barcelona City Council held the 5th edition of the Spain-India Forum in Barcelona on November 5. The event, titled “Connecting with India: Talent, Science and Strategy for a Shared Future”, took place within the framework of the Smart City Expo World Congress, with the support of Fira Barcelona, ORF, the Government of Catalonia, and the AI Impact Summit.
The Forum was inaugurated by Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona; Juan Ignacio Entrecanales, President of the Spain–India Council Foundation; the Ambassador of India to Spain, Shri Jayant N. Khobragade, and José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain through a video message. | Read the news about the Forum’s inauguration.
In addition, the Forum’s opening featured a Keynote Speech delivered by Nilanjan Ghosh, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation in Kolkata and Head of the Development Studies Programme.
| Read the news about the Keynote Speech.
The Spain-India Forum is an initiative of the Spain-India Council Foundation designed to promote bilateral relations between the two countries. It is a high-level meeting that brings together experts, companies, and institutional representatives from India and Spain to discuss issues of mutual interest, strengthen cooperation in various fields, and create new networks of collaboration.
The Forum featured three private sessions, structured around thematic panels that addressed:
▪️ Technological innovation as a driver of development in Health. | Read the news about the Forum’s First Session.
▪️ Sustainable infrastructure and public–private cooperation. | Read the news about the Forum’s Second Session.
▪️ Governance of Artificial Intelligence, talent and knowledge: towards a knowledge economy and Spain–India innovation ecosystems. | Read the news about the Forum’s Third Session.
Finally, a public session took place on the Main Stage of the Smart City World Congress, under the title “India as a Global Urban Power: Geopolitics, Digitalization and Smart Cities.” | Read the news about the Forum’s Session at the Smart City Expo World Congress.
The Forum concluded with a dinner offered by the Barcelona City Council and the Spain-India Council Foundation in the unique setting of the Born market, now the Centre for Culture and Memory of the city of Barcelona. | Read the news about the Forum’s Gala Dinner.
About the Spain–India Forum
The Spain–India Forum is an initiative of the Spain–India Council Foundation designed to promote bilateral relations between the two countries. It is a high-level meeting that brings together Indian and Spanish experts, companies, and institutional representatives to discuss issues of common interest, strengthen cooperation across diverse fields, and foster new networks.
Previous editions of the Forum were held in Madrid (2014 and 2017), New Delhi (2023), and Mumbai (2024), the latter coinciding with the official visit of the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, to India.
The themes addressed in each edition reflect shared challenges and opportunities between the two countries within the context of global priorities and form part of their joint alliances as leading actors in the current geoeconomic and political landscape. Topics covered have included “Sustainable Cities and Transport Networks” (2014); “Energy Sector” (2017); “Latin America and Europe in the Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific Security, and Higher Education and Language” (2023); and “Geopolitical and Technological Challenges” (2024).
