PAU joins BRICS network as the only Indian state agri university.

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana has been formally included in the BRICS Network University under the thematic area of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security.

• Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana has joined the BRICS Network on food security. India is preparing to assume the rotating presidency of BRICS in 2026, the presidency logo of which has been released recently.
• Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana has been formally included in the BRICS Network University under the thematic area of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security.
• Notably, PAU is the only State Agricultural University of the country to be selected in the network, while the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Delhi represents the institution category, bringing PAU into a distinct leadership position in the consortium.
• BRICS, a diplomatic group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as its five original members, represents major emerging and fastest growing economies.
• PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal said: “This development places PAU among a select group of institutions from BRICS countries that will collectively shape a multilateral research, education and innovation framework aimed at addressing some of the world’s most pressing agri-food challenges.”
• He said that the BRICS platform provides a pathway to create solutions for food security, climate adaptation and sustainable livelihoods by bringing together expertise across diverse agro-ecological regions.

BRICS Summit

• The Prime Minister of India participated in the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the theme of which was - "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance." The Prime Minister signed the Rio de Janeiro Declaration on this occasion.
• Indonesia has officially joined BRICS, while Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Uganda and Uzbekistan have been accepted as BRICS partner countries.
• India will assume the presidency of BRICS in the year 2026 and will host the 18th BRICS Summit.

About BRICS

• The term ‘BRIC’ was proposed in the year 2001 by British economist Jim O'Neill to represent emerging economies like Brazil, Russia, India and China.
• BRIC began functioning as a formal group in the year 2006 during the G8 Outreach Summit, its first summit was held in Russia in the year 2009, and in the year 2010 with the inclusion of South Africa it became BRICS.
• Members: The initial five BRICS member countries were Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In the year 2024, Iran, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Ethiopia joined this group, while Indonesia joined BRICS in the year 2025.
• Saudi Arabia has not yet formally confirmed its membership of BRICS, while Argentina was expected to join in the year 2024, but later it decided to withdraw from membership.