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The 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting, chaired by India, adopted the 'Chennai Declaration' unanimously; the announcement was made in the closing session by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.
Also called the Chennai Consensus, the document places a 'people-centred and humanity-first' approach at the heart of BRICS STI cooperation, with emphasis on sustainable development, resilient and high-quality growth, social inclusiveness and the use of innovation to improve quality of life.
It records progress towards operationalising the BRICS Global Research Advanced Infrastructure Network (BRICS GRAIN) and welcomes the Action Plan and Terms of Reference of the Task Force on research infrastructures and mega-science projects.
It also welcomes the BRICS Science and Research Repository as a digital public good mapping institutions, researchers, outputs, datasets and infrastructure, and backs the Young Scientist Forum, Young Innovator Prize, the STI Entrepreneurship Partnership and the BRICS Youth Startup Platform.
The meeting endorsed the BRICS STI Calendar of Activities for 2026-2027; the next STI Ministerial is scheduled under China's chairship in 2027.
Fund and coordinate multilateral research projects across BRICS through joint calls
Key: Nine calls issued so far, covering research, innovation and flagship projects; run through the 14 thematic Working Groups
Link and open up large research facilities and mega-science projects across BRICS countries
Key: The Chennai Consensus records progress towards operationalising it and welcomes the Action Plan and Terms of Reference of the Task Force on research infrastructures, covering shared access, common use approaches, joint research, researcher mobility and capacity building
Provide a structured platform for storing and sharing knowledge across BRICS
Key: Draft framework envisages a digital public good mapping scientific institutions, researchers, research outputs, datasets, infrastructure and collaboration opportunities - subject to national regulations and data governance requirements
Bring together early-career researchers from member countries for exchange and joint work
Key: Eleven editions held; the Declaration encourages greater exchange among young scientists
Recognise and reward innovation by young researchers and entrepreneurs in BRICS
Key: Nine editions held; continued alongside the Young Scientist Forum
Connect incubators, accelerators and early-stage investors across BRICS
Key: Aims at mobility of young innovators and researchers and better access to relevant markets
Support youth-led startups across the grouping
Key: The Declaration records the consideration of a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund in the BRICS Industry Ministers' Declaration, to be coordinated with the STI track where appropriate
Plurilateral grouping of major emerging economies. The acronym 'BRIC' was coined by Jim O'Neill in Goldman Sachs Global Economic Paper No. 66, 'Building Better Global Economic BRICs', published on 30 November 2001; the first standalone BRIC summit was held at Yekaterinburg, Russia, on 16 June 2009. South Africa was invited in December 2010, making it BRICS. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joined from 1 January 2024, and Indonesia became the first Southeast Asian member on 6 January 2025, taking full membership to 11. The partner-country modality was created at the Kazan Summit in October 2024 and 10 partner countries joined in 2025.
The BRICS multilateral development bank, agreed at the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil (14-16 July 2014) alongside the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. It finances infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging economies. Initial authorised capital of US$100 billion and initial subscribed capital of US$50 billion, divided equally among the five founders.
Established in May 1971 as the nodal department for organising, coordinating and promoting scientific and technological activity in India; it hosted India's BRICS STI chairship work along with partner institutions. It is one of the three departments of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, the others being the Department of Biotechnology (1986) and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (1985).
India chairs BRICS in 2026 for the fourth time and hosts the leaders' summit; every ministerial outcome, including the Chennai Consensus, feeds into that summit's declaration.
Created the 'partner country' category that now covers 10 states - the mechanism BRICS uses to widen participation without granting immediate full membership.
The two financial institutions born at Fortaleza in 2014; the CRA is a currency-swap safety net, while the NDB lends for infrastructure - a routinely confused pair.
India's own apex research funding body sits behind the national end of these BRICS calls; questions often pair a domestic S&T institution with an international commitment.
The Declaration's 'people-centred, humanity-first' language belongs to the same diplomatic vocabulary India uses in its Global South outreach.
GS Paper 2 > International Relations > Important International Institutions, Agencies and Groupings involving India
General Awareness > Current Affairs > International summits and their venues
General Awareness > International financial institutions - New Development Bank, its headquarters and head
Consider the following statements regarding BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) cooperation: It is based on mutual benefit and public-good-driven innovation. It is governed only through annual Heads of State Summits. Which of the statements is/are correct?
Answer: Only 1 is correct
What initiative was launched in 2021 under India's BRICS Presidency to boost cross-border startup collaboration and innovation?
Answer: BRICS Startup Forum
BRICS membership, the NDB and summit venues appear almost every year across UPSC prelims, SSC and banking general awareness.
The alternative name for the Chennai Declaration adopted at the 14th BRICS STI Ministerial, setting a people-centred, humanity-first approach for BRICS science cooperation.
BRICS Global Research Advanced Infrastructure Network - a framework for shared access to large research facilities and mega-science projects across member countries.
An open, publicly beneficial digital resource - software, data or a platform - designed for wide reuse; the term used for the proposed BRICS Science and Research Repository.
A political term for the developing countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania, used to signal shared development priorities rather than a strict geographic boundary.
The annually rotating leadership of BRICS, which sets the year's theme, hosts the ministerials and the summit, and shapes outcome documents; India holds it in 2026, China in 2027.