In a forward-looking consensus designed to transform knowledge ecosystems across emerging economies, the member states of the expanded BRICS bloc have resolved to establish a shared digital research repository, launch an international platform dedicated to youth-led startups, and develop an independent university ranking and evaluation system. Adopted on the opening day of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi under India’s chairship, the landmark New Delhi Declaration charts an ambitious course for cross-border cooperation in science, technology, higher education, digital literacy, and future-ready skilling. Representing eleven major emerging powerhouses and nearly half of the global population, the grouping is pivoting toward collaborative innovation to ensure that the Global South transitions from merely consuming external knowledge products to driving indigenous scientific and technological breakthroughs.
At the core of this collective research push is the formal operationalization of the BRICS Science and Research Repository. Designed as an integrated, open-access digital ecosystem, the repository will systematically map, catalog, and share scientific research outputs, academic publications, empirical datasets, experimental infrastructure, and institutional expertise across member nations. By breaking down historical data silos and removing paywall barriers that have long hindered researchers in developing regions, the platform aims to accelerate scientific discovery in critical fields such as sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, climate resilience, public health, and biotechnology. Through this centralized infrastructure, scientists and academic scholars across Asia, Africa, and Latin America can coordinate peer-reviewed investigations, pool resources, and avoid redundant research expenditures, building a resilient network of South-South technological synergy.
Parallel to academic research sharing, the New Delhi Declaration places an emphatic focus on empowering the next generation of innovators through the establishment of the BRICS Youth Startup Platform. Recognizing that young entrepreneurs serve as the primary engines of disruptive technologies and employment generation, the platform will provide a structured virtual environment for dialogue, mentorship, cross-border incubator partnerships, and collaborative enterprise development. Crucially, the declaration acknowledges that access to early-stage capital remains one of the steepest hurdles facing young founders across emerging markets. To address this structural constraint, the member states committed to catalyzing blended financing mechanisms and venture funding for early-stage and growth-stage enterprises, directly aligning the new youth platform with the capital resources of the BRICS Startup Innovation Fund.
In a transformative step for global academia, the summit reaffirmed its commitment to establishing the BRICS University Global Ranking and Evaluation System. First conceived during ministerial discussions in 2023, the initiative seeks to create an alternative, objective higher education evaluation framework tailored to the developmental needs and socio-economic realities of emerging economies. Delegates and educational policymakers noted that traditional Western ranking metrics frequently disadvantage universities across developing nations by overemphasizing subjective reputational surveys and commercial endowments while ignoring local societal impact, regional problem-solving, and community upliftment.
Building on the outcomes of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting held in Bhubaneswar, member countries have scheduled a specialized international workshop between September and December 2026 to finalize the methodology, indicators, and governance structures of this evaluation system. Concurrently, plans are advancing for a BRICS Education Olympiad to foster academic excellence among students, alongside the continuation of the BRICS Rectors' Forum to deepen direct partnerships between university vice-chancellors and academic administrators.
The ambitious science agenda agreed upon in New Delhi is further reinforced by the adoption of the Action Plan of the Working Group on Research Infrastructures and Megascience Projects for 2026 to 2030. This blueprint is set to operationalize the BRICS Global Research Advanced Infrastructure Network, known as BRICS GRAIN. The initiative establishes structured operational protocols allowing scientists from across the bloc to access cutting-edge research facilities, particle accelerators, astronomical observatories, marine research vessels, and supercomputing clusters located in partner nations. By pooling their financial and engineering weight into megascience projects, member countries aim to participate in high-end global scientific inquiry on equal terms with traditional scientific powerhouses, ensuring that emerging economies help shape the future frontiers of physics, space science, and advanced materials engineering.
Higher education cooperation under the New Delhi Declaration also reflects India’s cultural and intellectual contributions, with member states officially welcoming India's guiding principles on Strengthening Academic Collaboration on Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. The framework focuses on systematically identifying, documenting, safeguarding, and promoting traditional sciences—including indigenous medicine, sustainable ecological practices, and ancient agricultural systems—through the responsible use of digital cataloging and modern verification tools. The declaration actively encouraged the BRICS Network University to evaluate the creation of an additional International Thematic Group dedicated specifically to traditional and local knowledge systems, ensuring that heritage wisdom is respected, preserved, and woven into contemporary academic research in compliance with national laws and ethical standards.
The educational mandate approved by leaders encompasses the entire learning lifecycle, pledging coordinated collaboration across foundational literacy, early childhood care, digital literacy, and the mutual recognition of academic qualifications to unlock seamless professional mobility. Emphasizing the rapid disruption driven by emerging technologies, the declaration highlighted the critical importance of ensuring the safe, ethical, inclusive, and human-centered deployment of artificial intelligence inside classrooms and research laboratories. To bridge the gap between academic instruction and evolving industrial requirements, the member states reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to the BRICS-Technical and Vocational Education and Training Cooperation Alliance, dedicating resources toward aligning vocational training curricula with global market demands and technical certification standards.
To translate these high-level policy declarations into vibrant grassroots interactions, an extensive series of people-to-people engagements and specialized academic forums will roll out across India over the coming months. A dedicated Academic Forum in Lucknow will convene scholars, think tank analysts, and policy practitioners to deliberate on shared development challenges, while a virtual BRICS Network University conference will delve into traditional knowledge systems in the digital era. Concurrently, the premier scientific hub of Bengaluru will host the BRICS Young Scientists Forum, bringing together early-career researchers, engineers, and software innovators to spark interdisciplinary collaborations and collective research projects.
The comprehensive agreements reached at the New Delhi Summit signal a decisive strategic transition for the BRICS collective. Beyond its traditional identity as a platform for geopolitical dialogue and macroeconomic coordination, the bloc is actively constructing the institutional scaffolding required to foster enduring scientific self-reliance, academic equity, and technological sovereignty. By investing in shared research repositories, backing youth innovation, building fair academic ranking benchmarks, and opening mega-science infrastructure to all members, the expanded BRICS partnership is laying a formidable foundation to drive sustainable economic transformation and shared human progress across the developing world.