India & Denmark Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation

• 03 Sep 2026
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The 4th Meeting of India-Denmark Joint Working Group was held in Copenhagen in Denmark. It was held from 24 to 28 August 2026. This meeting was attended by representatives from Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India as well as Danish Patent and Trademark Office. It was held with aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation in MSME development, innovation and intellectual property between the two countries. 

The meeting served as a platform for both India and Denmark to share insights regarding their respective MSME and innovation ecosystems and to explore opportunities for enhanced institutional collaboration between them. Discussions included various topics such as technology adoption, innovation, intellectual property, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and cluster-based MSME development. 

The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Rajneesh, who is Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner of Ministry of MSME. He was accompanied by Md. Salik Parwaiz, Director; Ms. Bhagya Jagadiswaran, Assistant Director; and Ms. Swapna Vanamala, Faculty Member from National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. 

Representing Indian Embassy in Copenhagen were Mr. Manish Prabhat, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Denmark, and Mr. Ashish Arya, Counsellor. The Danish delegation included Ms. Maria Skou, Deputy Director General of DKPTO; Mr. Mattias Dinnetz, Senior Advisor for International Cooperation at DKPTO; and Ms. Louise Boisen, Counsellor for Intellectual Property Rights at the Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi. 

Highlights of India-Denmark JWG Meeting 2026

Here are the highlights of the 4th meeting of India-Denmark Joint Working Group (JWG): 

• The Indian delegation visited Aarhus University's Innovation "Kitchen" and Agro Food Park to gain insights into Denmark's innovation support and business cluster ecosystems. These engagements facilitated an exchange of experiences regarding mentoring, startup support, industry-academia linkages and cluster based approaches for supporting entrepreneurs as well as MSMEs.

• The delegation also met with Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs and discussed business development, innovation and SME ecosystem in Denmark. 

• The delegation was led by Dr. Rajneesh, Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner of the Ministry of MSME. It participated in Nordic-India Startup Summit 2026 organized by TechBBQ, which is a prominent Nordic startup event. 

• This summit provided an opportunity to interact with stakeholders from Nordic startup and innovation ecosystem and share perspectives on India’s MSME sector. 

• The concluding discussions of JWG reviewed outcomes of previous engagements and deliberated on priorities for future collaboration and opportunities to expand cooperation within existing JWG framework. 

• Ambassador of India to Denmark Mr. Manish Prabhat praised the successful operation of JWG mechanism and strengthening of India-Denmark cooperation. He reasserted support for continued engagement under JWG framework and encouraged exploration of new and complementary areas of cooperation.

Also Read: Key Highlights of BRICS MSME Forum 2026

The meeting showcased the shared commitment of India and Denmark when it comes to promoting innovation and intellectual property-led growth of MSMEs. At the same time, the meeting strengthened knowledge exchange, institutional ties and opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration.

Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)