- Mayoral-led mission to India strengthens economic and cultural partnerships during the year of the Free Trade Agreement in order to deliver impact for the West Midlands.
- New civic, academic and innovation partnerships secured across Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru to boost bilateral collaboration, trade and tourism
BIRMINGHAM, England, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A strategic trade mission to the UK’s West Midlands region has strengthened economic and cultural ties with India’s subregions, building on the recent signing of the landmark UK-India Free Trade Agreement.
Led by West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker between 22nd and 27th February and representing the first outbound mission from the UK in 2026, the delegation of business, political and academic leaders visited Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru. With the aim of reinforcing the long-established, trusted partnership between the West Midlands and India, the mission set out to deliver real impact for the West Midlands, strengthening economic and cultural links and boosting collaboration for the benefit of the region’s businesses, people and academic institutions.
The mission was organised by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), with support from the India Global Forum and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. The delegation included Dr Julie Nugent, CEO at Coventry City Council, Prof. David Mba, Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University and Greg Clark, Executive Chair of University of Warwick Innovation District. Official trade mission partners included Aston University, Birmingham City University (BCU), energy provider E.ON, GEDU Global Education, University of Birmingham and University of Warwick.
The delegation was also made up of a number of high-potential West Midlands businesses, led by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, interested in exploring trade opportunities in India. These included Goldilock; School of Coding Limited; World Wide Generation Limited; Agilyx EMEA Ltd; Econominds; CyberQ Group and Cybercy Group.
Throughout the week, the West Midlands delegation attended a series of meetings with senior figures from leading Indian manufacturing companies, with discussion centred around their shared commitment to the future of engineering innovation. This included clean energy company Atri Energy Transition and motorcycle manufacturer and major investor into the West Midlands, TVS Motor Company. Mayor Richard Parker also met with Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chair of Tata Group – the region’s biggest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) – to discuss how to accelerate collaboration across technology, energy, steel and communications between the two markets.
This momentum was reflected through the announcement of a new alliance between the University of Warwick and Tata Power, focused on energy storage and industrial decarbonisation. Marking an important step toward strengthening long-term research capability, talent development, and global academic engagement aligned with Tata Power’s strategic priorities, the collaboration highlights the importance of West Midlands-borne research expertise to Indian industry partners. During the mission, Aston University also entered into new partnerships with Indian academic institutions the All India Management Association and Xavier School of Management, creating new pathways for skills and talent.
In line with the mission’s focus on opening pathways around digital innovation and AI collaboration, the delegation visited some of India’s most significant industry hubs. These included the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – which hosted an interactive industry session focused on unlocking cross-border growth and scaling innovation following the UK-India FTA – the offices of multinational technology company and West Midlands investor Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services. The delegation also visited Gujarat-based GIFT City – India’s globally connected financial centre – with the region is now taking forward plans for a joint taskforce with the State of Gujarat, with the ambition of establishing a formal partnership for growth across shared priority sectors.
In support of the region’s ambition to grow its creative industries, the delegation visited the iconic Yash Raj Films to discuss how to build partnerships between Mumbai and the West Midlands, focused on attracting productions and opening up new opportunities for the region’s studios, freelancers and young creatives.
Throughout the mission, the West Midlands delegation hosted activity to promote cultural exchange and building strong foundations for future partnership with India. This included an event on “The Commonwealth Legacy”, to share lessons from hosting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, ahead of Ahmedabad hosting the major sporting event in 2030.
The mission also successfully profiled the West Midlands across Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru – engaging 30 tour operators through targeted roundtables, alongside five hosted meetings to focus on educational product development, route development and forward planning. Organised in collaboration with VisitBritain, this activity also focused on commemorating the top travel agents for driving inbound tourism from India into the region, with the number of visits from Indian tourists to the region having grown by more than 20 per cent over the last decade.
India and the West Midlands have strong economic links, with India representing the UK’s second largest source of investment projects for six consecutive years and the West Midlands representing the UK’s largest recipient of FDI projects from India outside London. These strong economic ties are supported by organisations including the CII, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), with plans in place to host the NASSCOM UK Forum in Birmingham in the near future, following the trade mission.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:
“This mission was about turning the UK-India Free Trade Agreement into real opportunities for the West Midlands.
“In just one week we strengthened relationships with some of India’s biggest employers and fastest growing industries. We opened the door to new partnerships in clean energy, technology, education and the creative industries – sectors that will create jobs, investment and opportunity for people across our region.
“The West Midlands already has one of the strongest relationships with India anywhere in the UK outside London. My job is to build on that foundation and turn it into practical results for our businesses, universities and communities.
“We’ve come back with a strong pipeline of partnerships and projects. The next step is simple – turn those conversations into investment, collaboration and growth here in the West Midlands.”
Harjinder Kang, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner to South Asia & Deputy High Commissioner to Western India, said:
“We were delighted to welcome the West Midlands Mayoral-led trade delegation to India. As a result of the UK-India FTA, we have witnessed a great deal of interest amongst Indian businesses to deepen their collaboration with this key UK region. Beyond business ties, a number of exciting new partnerships spanning research, energy, skills, and talent were also announced – reflecting the strength of the region and our bilateral relationship. The success of this mission, underpinned by growth across both countries, is inspiring to see.”
Further commentary from the delegation:
Professor Gurpreet Singh Jagpal OBE, Chief Commercial Officer at Aston University, said:
“Aston University was proud to sponsor the mission to focus on strengthening economic and cultural ties between the West Midlands and India. We explored new education and business partnership opportunities to help boost investment and deepen UK–India collaboration.
“While there we were delighted to sign agreements with two Indian higher education institutions. XLRI has a reputation for producing employer-ready graduates which makes it a strong platform for promoting West Midlands-India engagement in skills, talent, and business ties, and AIMA is a national management body with wide reach across corporate and institutional leaders. These agreements will help foster education, research and business engagement initiatives with the West Midlands. The mission also gave us the opportunity to contribute to several round table panels and host some of our esteemed Indian alumni at networking events.”
Professor David Mba, Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University, said:
“The Mayoral Trade Mission was a powerful opportunity to deepen Birmingham’s partnership with counterparts across India.
“From Commonwealth Games collaboration to visits to world-leading cultural and technology hubs, I return with new relationships secured and clear ambition for how BCU can work more closely with the institutions we met. We are ready to turn dialogue into delivery and ambition into lasting impact.”
Vijay Tank, Chief Commercial Officer at E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions, said:
“The free trade agreement between India and the UK opens up major opportunities for new investment and deeper partnerships between our two countries. Both nations share a commitment to an energy transition that boosts business competitiveness while driving cleaner and more secure energy – an ideal foundation for long–term collaboration.
“It was a privilege to join the Mayor in meeting political and industry leaders in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Those conversations reinforced that the opportunities ahead of us are real and significant. With a shared sense of purpose we have a genuine chance to build scalable, sustainable solutions that will benefit our people, businesses and communities.”
Kevin McCole, Managing Director at GEDU Global Education, said:
“The week in India was really enjoyable and successful for the West Midlands and the delegates. There was a positive response from the political and business leaders in all three cities, and a genuine commitment to deepening the trade, investment and cultural ties.”
Professor Mark Lee, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham, said:
“The West Midlands mission to India has been a powerful opportunity to deepen the partnerships that connect Birmingham with one of our most important global collaborators. Through initiatives such as our joint postgraduate programmes with IIT Madras and our new Future Skills scholarships for Indian students, the University of Birmingham is committed to creating opportunities that strengthen talent pipelines, support sustainable growth, and bring our region closer to India.”
Greg Clark, Executive Chair of Warwick Innovation District, said:
“The University of Warwick has extensive and long-standing connections with India through our students, alumni, research collaborations and industrial and innovation Partnerships. The dynamism and confidence of the Indian economy and the UK-India free trade agreement present further opportunities for the West Midlands and India to deepen our relationships.
“The University of Warwick’s new strategic alliance with Tata Power, announced during the visit, is a clear example of how world-class research and education can work with Indian businesses to make for a better and more prosperous world together. The West Midlands delegation advanced those connections at a time of momentum in the UK-India relationship.”
West Midlands Growth Company
The West Midlands Growth Company focuses on the WMCA geography of Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire, and the Black Country.Once the powerhouse of the industrial revolution, the West Midlands has evolved into a world-class and highly sought-after international business destination, with an economy worth £117bn. Situated at the heart of the UK, the region is home to three major cities (Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton) and four thriving boroughs, which come together to form one of Europe’s most dynamic and diverse metropolitan clusters.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2930557/West_Midlands_Growth_Company.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2702236/5856235/WMGC_Logo.jpg
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/strategic-trade-mission-capitalises-on-uk-india-free-trade-agreement-opportunity-302709748.html
