India trade mission capitalises on Free Trade Agreement opportunity

A trade mission led by West Midlands mayor Richard Parker has strengthened economic and cultural ties with India’s subregions, building on the recent signing of the landmark UK-India Free Trade Agreement.   

In 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. 

The mayor 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.  

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 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.” 

Pictured: The mayor visits TVS Motor Company