India, Australia, and Canada have recently entered into a significant new trilateral partnership called the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership. This alliance was announced during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November 2025. The ACITI Partnership aims to deepen collaboration between the countries by focusing on emerging technologies, especially green energy innovation, and the development of resilient supply chains for critical minerals that are essential for clean energy technology and advanced manufacturing.
Following are some cooperative opportunities that can be used to leverage this partnership, building upon Pranay Kotasthane’s blog on “What India and Canada Can Do Together.
| Concept | India’s Role | Australia’s Role | Canada’s Role | Key Link to Resilience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setting up a Trilateral Critical Minerals Investment Fund (TCMIF) | Attracting capital for processing and component manufacturing (cathodes/anodes) within India. | Providing raw mineral sourcing and equity investment; expertise in mining/extraction. | Providing equity investment; expertise in mineral processing and high-tech extraction. | Diversifies processing capacity, making the global value chain less susceptible to single-source shock. |
| Project RECLAIM (Urban Mining) | Serving as the major site for scaling up technology to recycle e-waste and spent batteries (due to large consumption base). | Sharing expertise in waste management and materials science; supplying industrial inputs. | Providing advanced recycling and metallurgical technologies for mineral recovery. | Creates a circular economy loop, securing long-term supply and reducing reliance on new mining. |
| Green Hydrogen Corridor | Co-development of pilot projects for Green Hydrogen production and deployment, leveraging its energy demand. | Providing vast land/resources for large-scale solar/wind farms to power electrolysis. | Supplying advanced electrolyser technology and expertise in hydrogen storage/transport. | Drives clean energy transition and establishes a secure, non-fossil fuel energy source. |
| Trilateral Tech Catalyst Grants Programme | Hosting R&D ventures (IITs/startups) and testing scale-up, particularly for software/AI components. | Providing academic and public research expertise (CSIRO) and commercialisation pathways. | Providing seed funding and deep tech expertise in Quantum and advanced materials science. | Accelerates the innovation cycle in strategic tech like battery chemistry and AI applications. |
| Open Tech Maitri | Driving the adoption of open-source frameworks for digital public goods and AI standards across its large market. | Contributing to establishing open international digital trade and data governance standards. | Contributing expertise in open standards and protocols for secure internet infrastructure. | Safeguards techno-strategic autonomy by reducing dependency on closed-source, proprietary platforms. Additionally, this alliance would seed a Joint Open Tech Fund to support critical open source projects and open standards. |
| Compound Semiconductor Fab Consortium (CSFC) | Providing skilled workforce and manufacturing capacity for GaN and SiC components. | Supplying raw silicon and other specialised materials for semiconductor fabrication. | Providing core technology and advanced manufacturing IP for wafer design and processing. | Secures the semiconductor supply in power electronics, a critical choke-point in manufacturing. |
| Skilled Mobility for Critical Tech | Supplying skilled talent in IT, VLSI, and engineering to fill gaps in partner countries. | Streamlining visa processes for ACITI-linked talent; hosting training and exchange programs. | Providing fast-track visas for researchers and engineers in advanced manufacturing/AI. | Addresses talent gaps in deep tech sectors, ensuring project continuity. |
| Provincial-State Engagement Strategy | Facilitating direct links between its States (e.g., Karnataka, Gujarat) and partner regions for investment promotion. | Promoting investment and R&D linkages between Australian States and Indian industrial clusters. | Encouraging direct partnerships between Canadian Provinces and Indian tech/industrial hubs. | Decentralizes cooperation and targets investment in high-density industrial action areas. |
| Defence and Dual-Use Technology Alignment | Providing defence manufacturing scale and R&D for low-cost, high-volume production of systems (e.g., secure comms). | Investing in co-development of advanced materials and maritime surveillance technologies. | Leading on advanced sensor technologies and secure, encrypted communication systems. | Enhances supply chain security for national defence needs and component reliability. |
| Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Grid | Sharing real-time data from its Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR); developing software tools for data analysis. | Providing advanced satellite-based radio frequency data and leveraging its experience in regional initiatives (e.g., Quad’s IPMDA). | Contributing its Dark Vessel Detection Program and expertise in Arctic/North Pacific surveillance technology. | Secures Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs) vital for global trade and protects critical undersea infrastructure. |
| Bio-Manufacturing and Pandemic Preparedness Hub | Providing massive pharmaceutical production and scale-up capacity; leading clinical trials. | Contributing expertise in biotech research and regulatory science for new treatments/vaccines. | Leading on cutting-edge biotechnology (e.g., mRNA platform) and rapid diagnostics development. | Builds resilience against future health crises by decentralising medical supply chains. |
| Joint Indo-Pacific Infrastructure Standards | Contributing project execution experience in South Asia and Africa; promoting digital connectivity standards. | Providing financing and expertise in large-scale port and energy infrastructure development. | Contributing expertise in resilient digital infrastructure and telecommunications standards. | Establishes stable, sustainable regional connectivity resilient to geopolitical coercion. |
| Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Water Tech | Serving as the main testing and scale-up environment for climate-smart crops and irrigation technologies. | Contributing research on drought-resistant agriculture and water management practices. | Contributing technology for smart irrigation, advanced sensing, and water purification/desalination. | Secures national food and water supply chains against the threat of climate change. |
| Cybersecurity and Cyber-Resilience Task Force | Deploying cyber professionals to develop robust defenses; sharing intelligence on regional threats. | Coordinating national cyber defense strategies and protecting critical energy/finance infrastructure. | Leading on real-time threat intelligence sharing and developing advanced cyber defense tools. | Protects critical digital infrastructure and ensures the operational continuity of essential services. |
The ACITI Partnership is a defining opportunity for the three countries to move beyond rhetoric and build concrete and resilient alternatives in the global technology landscape. As a partner country, India must leverage its talent, market size, and manufacturing ambition to become a significant hub in the global supply chain.