French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that his country will simplify visa and sourcing procedures and expand courses taught in English in an effort to get 30,000 Indian students to study in France by 2030 from the current level of 9,000-10,000 annually.

Macron held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai on Tuesday, and landed in the national capital from Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon, where he is scheduled to attend the AI Impact Summit on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, the French President launched a research centre dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, involving collaboration between Sorbonne University, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and the Paris Brain Institute. India and France have placed AI and digital health at the core of their strategic cooperation in the sector.

Addressing the gathering at AIIMS, Macron said France currently sees an annual inflow of approximately 9,000 to 10,000 Indian students. “We have decided with Prime Minister Modi to increase this number to 30,000 per year by 2030,” the French President said. He said that France wants to welcome more Indian students and have more French students coming to India. “From the French side, we will work on streamlining procedures to make them more practical and aligned with students’ expectations,” Macron said.

The French President inaugurated the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health (IF-CAIH). The centre will focus on advancing AI-driven research, medical education and clinical innovation to address complex health care challenges in priority areas such as digital health, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), human resources for Health and the responsible use of health data. The centre will also draw academic collaboration from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and leading French institutions, promoting interdisciplinary research in AI, brain health, and global health care systems.