The UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into force on Wednesday 15th July, should change the way British companies, and particularly technology firms, approach India, according to Intralink.
Rather than viewing the country simply as an export market, UK firms should be looking to build long-term partnerships with Indian businesses through joint R&D, innovation collaborations, shared intellectual property (IP) and investment, according to Jai Mallick, Managing Director for India at Intralink.
He said the UK-India Technology Security Initiative, signed in 2024, signalled both governments’ intent to increase collaboration in areas such as AI, semiconductors, advanced materials and biotechnology. The FTA now provides many of the practical mechanisms to help businesses turn ambitions into commercial partnerships.
“For India, the FTA unlocks greater access to world class UK innovation, services and capital,” said Mallick. “For the UK, it opens doors to a scale of demand that simply doesn’t exist at home.”
The timing of the new FTA is also opportune, he suggested. India is now the world’s fourth-largest economy and is investing heavily in sectors including AI, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, batteries, energy storage, and cleantech.
To support this growth, Indian companies are increasingly looking beyond traditional supplier relationships to partnerships that give them access to world-leading innovation and specialist expertise.
“What stands out about the FTA is that it has been designed following dialogue with industry,” said Mallick. “Tariff reductions are important, but so are provisions on services, digital trade and IP. Together, these measures create a corridor through which ambitious companies on both sides can scale regionally and globally, not simply sell more into each other’s markets.”
The FTA removes many of the practical barriers that have traditionally made it difficult for UK firms to do business in India. It gives commitments on digital trade support, electronic contracts, and paperless trading, for instance, and sets out more predictable rules for digital commerce. Other provisions tackle professional mobility, making it easier for UK companies to deploy engineers and other specialists in India.
Together, the measures make it significantly easier to establish and develop commercial partnerships.
“These changes reduce much of the friction involved in building business relationships,” said Mallick. “For innovative UK companies, India is now a much more accessible market.”
“Perhaps the most exciting aspect is what it offers to technology focused companies,” he added. “When combined with existing government initiatives on semiconductors, AI and telecoms, the agreement creates a framework through which UK and Indian tech firms can co develop products, share IP on sensible terms and bring innovations to market faster.”
While the agreement makes doing business in India easier in many ways, Mallick stressed that success will still depend on choosing the right market entry strategy and understanding the Indian commercial landscape.
“The FTA doesn’t remove the need for local knowledge,” he said. “Companies still need to identify the right opportunities, understand a complex market and build relationships with the right partners. This is where experienced, on-the-ground support remains invaluable.”
For Mallick, however, the FTA represents a decisive shift in how India should be viewed by UK technology companies.
“If India isn’t already part of your international growth strategy, now’s the time to reconsider,” he said. “The companies that stand to benefit most from this agreement will be those which build the strongest partnerships.”
