IIT-B, Honeywell open centre of excellence

The centre, called the ‘IIT Bombay-Honeywell Centre of Excellence for Future Skills and Innovation’, will be fully funded by Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm in India

MUMBAI: The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) and American MNC Honeywell will together set up a centre of excellence at the institute’s Powai campus in Mumbai. The initiative aims to train more than 100,000 students in sustainability related fields by 2030.

Mumbai, India - February 20, 2023: Posse of policemen deployed outside IIT Bombay after students protest seeking justice for 18-year-old Dalit student Darshan Solanki, who died by suicide on February 12 inside IIT Bombay, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 20, 2023. (Praful Gangurde / HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The centre, called the ‘IIT Bombay-Honeywell Centre of Excellence for Future Skills and Innovation’, will be fully funded by Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm in India. The facility will provide advanced laboratory infrastructure, equipment, curriculum development and research and innovation grants to support sustainability education.

The American MNC operates in multiple domains, including aerospace, building automation, industrial automation, process automation and process technology.

In the pilot phase over the next two months, the centre will focus on building core infrastructure, developing a specialised curriculum and training the first batch of 250 students. The programme will offer certificate-based courses that combine classroom learning with practical projects linked to real-world sustainability challenges. Undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students from across the country will be able to participate.

After the pilot phase, the centre is expected to train nearly 20,000 students every year through a structured curriculum. Each student will complete about 40 hours of training across five learning tracks: sustainability reporting, sustainable finance, energy security, sustainability infrastructure and policy advocacy.

The initiative comes at a time when India is facing a shortage of skilled professionals in sustainability related sectors. According to the Economic Survey 2023–24, the country aims to create about 3.4 million jobs in the green sector by 2030. However, the renewable energy industry alone is expected to face a shortage of around 1.7 million skilled workers by 2027.

Ashish Modi, president for India and Asia Pacific at Honeywell, said that developing skilled talent is important for building a sustainable and future-ready economy. He said the collaboration with IIT-Bombay will help equip students with industry-relevant skills as India continues its digital and technology-driven growth.

Prof Shireesh B Kedare, director of IIT-Bombay, said, “The new centre will help students gain practical learning experience and work on real-world sustainability challenges that are important for the country’s future.”