Trade mission to forge links between India and the West Midlands
Political and business leaders from the region are heading to India in a bid to bolster trade links between the country and the West Midlands.
The trade mission, which will be led by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, will visit Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi with the aim of promoting business opportunities.
It will see potential partnerships explored in areas including digital technologies, low carbon mobility and data-driven healthcare.
It comes as talks continue over the UK-India post-Brexit free trade deal, which ministers hope to sign off on in the coming days.
The delegation also includes Wolverhampton Council leader Ian Brookfield, senior representatives from the Department for International Trade (DIT), and the University of Birmingham.
Mr Street said: "As the UK seeks to deepen its relationship with India via a new free trade agreement, we look forward to dovetailing with this national push by going out to India to ‘bang the drum’ for the West Midlands. It will be a fantastic opportunity to engage with the Indian business community to showcase just why the West Midlands is the ideal investment destination for their high growth companies.
"Across automotive, manufacturing and technology - helped by our world class R&D infrastructure, industrial ecosystem, and specialist talent base - there is tremendous potential for the West Midlands and India to collaborate even more closely to advance innovation for the benefit of both our societies and economies."
Councillor Brookfield said: "Wolverhampton and India have a long track record of collaboration, working closely together over the past decade to boost two-way investment, explore new opportunities around shared areas of strength and promote each other’s respective business interests.
"Indian-owned companies represent some of the largest businesses in Wolverhampton, from Jaguar Land Rover to Tata Steel, and our cultural ties run deep. The West Midlands India Partnership is a bedrock on which this visit will build, as we seek to enhance our bilateral relations even further."
On the mission, which starts on November 6, delegates will meet representatives from firms including Tata Group, motorcycle manufacturer TVS, automotive manufacturing group Mahindra & Mahindra, and low carbon transport manufacturer Switch Mobility.
