German Indian GIIC- Innovation Summit 2025: Forging the Future of Indo-European Innovation
Berlin, 6 October 2025 – The German Indian Innovation Summit (GIIC 2025) unfolded in Berlin, uniting more than 300 carefully selected leaders from India and Germany. CEOs, policymakers, innovators, technologists, scientists, and investors. The summit’s vision was clear: to strengthen the Indo-European innovation corridor and build sustainable bridges for future cooperation in business, technology, and research.
Summit Focus and Vision
This year’s GIIC Summit explored seven key innovation domains that hold immense potential for Indo-German partnership:
GreenTech and Sustainability
FinTech and Digital Infrastructure
Cyber Phygital Security
Space Technology and Exploration
AI and Digital Transformation
Mobility and Transport
Manufacturing and Industry
These themes represented more than discussion points, they became pathways to combine Germany’s precision and structure with India’s scale and entrepreneurial energy.
Participants and Key Voices of the Summit
The GIIC 2025 Summit featured a remarkable lineup of influential leaders, founders, and experts whose combined vision shaped the discussions and outcomes of the event.
Some of the prominent names included:
Ajit Gupte
Vijay Chauthaiwale
Dr. Sina Sattler
Shoba Purushothaman
Dr. Ruth Shah
Rohan Chhatwal
Milind Phulse
Kavikrut
Karthikeyan Muthukumar (MK)
Ankit Mehta
Abhishek Roy Choudhury
Vikram Gupta
Anandi Iyer
Axel Deniz
Dinesh Khara
Dirk Ramhorst
Dr. Gunter Gemmel
Jörg Müller
Dr. Jubin Shah
Dr. Manasi Aichmüller-Ratnaparkhe
Nick Barniville
Dr. PKC Bose
Dr. Saravanan Kesavan
Stefan Halusa
Upasna Dash
Michael Peter
These distinguished speakers brought together insights from technology, finance, education, sustainability, and innovation ecosystems in both India and Germany. The diversity of expertise symbolized the summit’s unique power to blend perspectives into shared solutions.
The Team Behind the Vision
The success of the German Indian Innovation Summit 2025 stands as a collective effort led by a visionary team.
Founder and Executive Board Member Upen Barve was joined by Co-Founders Jan Lachenmayer and Siddharth Bhasin, along with Partner Luke Lalor.
Together, this “dream team” brought the concept of GIIC to life, combining strategic foresight, innovation leadership, and a shared passion for strengthening Indo-German collaboration.
Their efforts were supported by a group of dedicated interns, students, and professionals, whose energy and commitment helped shape the summit’s successful execution.
Upen Barve: The Visionary Driving the Innovation Corridor
At the heart of the summit stood Upen Barve, Chief Fusionist and Futuring Expert, and Founder & Executive Board Member of the German Indian Innovation Corridor (GIIC).
With a remarkable background as former Vice President, Research & Innovation at SAP SE, Barve is known for his cross-disciplinary approach to connecting innovation, technology, and human collaboration.
His concept of “Innovation Diplomacy” a new form of collaboration where businesses, governments, and innovators jointly create value across borders—shaped the essence of GIIC 2025. Through this platform, Barve and his team aim to foster an Indo-European ecosystem that is resilient, inclusive, and future-driven.
In his address, Barve emphasized that “the Indo-German partnership has the potential to be the global center of innovation and sustainability if the two nations combine their distinct strengths through structured collaboration.”
He shared that “They say it takes a village to build something meaningful and that’s exactly what this summit represents.
What began as an idea scribbled on the back of a piece of paper has now gathered extraordinary momentum. This may be our first summit, but it is far more than an event, it’s the beginning of a 10-year roadmap.
When Germany and India start working together as equal partners, our goal is simple yet profound: to create ‘Germany plus India for the world’. A partnership built on trust, science, and technological exchange.
We are launching several new programs under this initiative, so I invite everyone to stay connected through giic.co for upcoming announcements.
I feel deeply satisfied seeing this vision come alive today that surrounded by senior leaders not only from politics and academia, but also CEOs of major corporations, Mittelstand companies, dynamic startups, and forward-looking investors from both nations — about 150 from India and 150 from Germany.”
“This is the value we aim to create Germany plus India for the world. That’s what the German Indian Innovation Corridor (GIIC) truly stands for.”
Upen Barve, Founder & Executive Board Member, German Indian Innovation Corridor (GIIC)
India’s Unstoppable Growth: A Global Innovation and Manufacturing Powerhouse
India’s transformation in IT, innovation, and manufacturing has become one of the most remarkable success stories of the 21st century. Over the past decade, India has emerged not only as the digital backbone of the world, but also as a global manufacturing hub with growing leadership in semiconductors, electric mobility, green hydrogen, and defense technology.
The Indian IT sector, valued at over $250 billion, continues to drive global digitalization, cybersecurity, and AI-based transformation projects for enterprises worldwide.
At the same time, the Make in India and Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) initiatives have positioned the country as a strategic destination for electronics, renewable energy, and high-value manufacturing.
India’s expanding partnerships with countries such as Germany, Japan, the U.S., and South Korea highlight a collective global recognition of its potential to shape future industrial and technological ecosystems.
India’s Rise and Global Opportunity for Europe
During the GIIC 2025 discussions, many German and Indian business leaders underlined that innovation and manufacturing are the strongest areas for bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
Several speakers also emphasized that over the last 10 years, India has been developing in all sectors and rising in full strength, showing resilience, confidence, and a clear direction toward sustainable progress.
As one participant insightfully noted,
“India’s growth momentum is unstoppable. The nation is advancing with full strength and speed and this is the right moment for countries like Germany to collaborate, invest, and grow together. Waiting too long could mean missing one of the most promising global opportunities of this decade.”
This sentiment echoed throughout the summit, reinforcing the urgency of leveraging India’s progress and aligning it with Germany’s technological excellence to build resilient, future-ready partnerships.
Leaders at the summit further highlighted that India has remarkably increased its independent capabilities in almost every sector, becoming a promising opportunity for European companies in manufacturing, consulting, infrastructure, technology, and skilled manpower support.
The vision of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Independent India) reflects the country’s growing ability to lead innovation and production from industrial manufacturing and agriculture to the latest advancements in earth sciences and space technology.
India’s journey toward self-reliance is not isolationist; it is an open invitation for global collaboration. As many experts agreed, the Indo-German partnership could serve as a model of how two knowledge economies can co-create solutions that benefit the world.
Impact, Future Outlook, and Indo German Spectrum’s Reflection
The GIIC 2025 Summit was more than a one-day dialogue; it marked the beginning of a long-term collaboration blueprint. Key takeaways include:
Development of joint innovation clusters and research exchange programs between India and Germany.
Creation of cross-border venture capital channels and investment collaborations.
Launch of policy-level discussions on technology ethics, sustainability, and innovation frameworks.
Establishment of a continuous Indo-German innovation bridge, encouraging start-ups and industries to work in partnership.
A shared focus on AI, GreenTech, and Mobility as the pillars of future cooperation.
Representing the Indo-German media community, Indo German Spectrum was privileged to attend this dynamic event. Interacting with the participants and innovators revealed an inspiring energy, Germany’s technological excellence meeting India’s visionary creativity.
The summit not only deepened mutual respect but also reaffirmed the importance of people-to-people and business-to-business connections as a driving force behind Indo-European relations.
We extend heartfelt appreciation to Upen Barve and the GIIC team for successfully organizing this powerful and visionary platform that connects two nations through innovation and collaboration.
Editor’s Note
The German Indian Innovation Summit 2025 marks a defining moment in Indo-European collaboration, It’s a step beyond bilateral relations toward building a shared future in innovation, sustainability, and growth.
The strong emphasis on India’s expanding influence in IT, manufacturing, and digital transformation serves as a reminder that the next decade belongs to nations that collaborate rather than compete.
Germany and India together hold the power to shape a new global innovation order, one defined by technology, trust, and transformation.
Editor’s Corner
Shraddha Mishra
Founder & CEO, Indo German Spectrum
www.indo-germanspectrum.com
