India, Denmark Step Up MSME Cooperation

• The 4th India–Denmark Joint Working Group meeting was held in Copenhagen from August 24–28.
• Discussions focused on technology adoption, innovation, IP, entrepreneurship and MSME clusters.
• Indian delegates visited Denmark’s innovation and business cluster ecosystems.
• Both sides reviewed future cooperation under the existing JWG framework.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st Sept: India and Denmark have strengthened bilateral cooperation in MSME development, innovation and intellectual property (IP) during the 4th meeting of the India–Denmark Joint Working Group (JWG), held in Copenhagen from August 24 to 28, 2026.

The JWG, between the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO), provided a platform to exchange perspectives on the two countries’ MSME and innovation ecosystems and identify areas for deeper institutional cooperation.

Focus on innovation and technology
Discussions covered technology adoption, innovation, intellectual property, technology commercialisation, entrepreneurship and cluster-based MSME development.

The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Rajneesh, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSME. Representatives of the Embassy of India in Copenhagen and the National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ni-msme) also participated.

The Danish delegation included officials from DKPTO and the Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi.

Delegation visits innovation ecosystems
As part of the programme, the Indian delegation visited the Aarhus University Innovation “Kitchen” and Agro Food Park to understand Denmark’s innovation support and business cluster models.

The engagements covered mentoring, start-up support, industry–academia linkages and cluster-based approaches for supporting entrepreneurs and MSMEs.

The delegation also held discussions with the Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs on business development, innovation and the SME ecosystem.

Participation in Nordic–India Startup Summit
The Indian delegation also participated in the Nordic–India Startup Summit 2026, organised by TechBBQ. The event provided an opportunity to engage with stakeholders from the Nordic start-up and innovation ecosystem and exchange perspectives on India’s MSME sector.

The concluding JWG discussions reviewed outcomes of previous engagements and identified priorities and opportunities for expanding cooperation under the existing framework.

Ambassador of India to Denmark Manish Prabhat appreciated the functioning of the JWG mechanism and the deepening of India–Denmark cooperation. He encouraged continued engagement and exploration of new areas of collaboration.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and Denmark to innovation and IP-led growth of MSMEs, alongside greater knowledge exchange, institutional linkages and mutually beneficial cooperation.