Honeywell and IIT Bombay Announce New Centre of Excellence
Global technology company Honeywell has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay to establish a Centre of Excellence for Future Skills and Innovation at the institute’s Powai campus.
Funded by Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation, the centre will support sustainability-focused education by providing laboratory infrastructure, specialised equipment, curriculum development and research grants. The initiative aims to train more than 100,000 students by 2030 through certificate-based programmes combining classroom instruction with applied projects.
Programme Structure and Pilot Phase
The programme will begin with a two-month pilot phase, focusing on building core infrastructure, developing coursework and training the first cohort of around 250 students. After the pilot stage, the programme is expected to engage nearly 20,000 students annually.
Students from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes will complete 40 hours of training across five key themes:
- sustainability reporting
- sustainable finance
- energy security
- sustainability infrastructure
- policy advocacy
Courses will be taught jointly by IIT Bombay faculty and Honeywell industry experts, with mentorship and technical support from Honeywell professionals.
Addressing India’s Growing Green Skills Demand
The initiative comes amid rising demand for sustainability-related skills in sectors such as energy, infrastructure and finance. According to the Government of India’s Economic Survey 2023–24, India could generate 3.4 million green jobs by 2030.
However, staffing firm TeamLease estimates the renewable energy sector already faces a shortage of about 1.2 million skilled workers, which could increase to 1.7 million by 2027.
Supporting India’s Sustainability Workforce
Ashish Modi, President of Honeywell India and Asia Pacific, said the collaboration aims to strengthen workforce capabilities as India expands its technology-driven economy.
Shireesh B. Kedare, Director of IIT Bombay, noted that the centre will allow students to work on real-world sustainability challenges through experiential learning and applied research.
The initiative will operate under Saksham Programme, Honeywell India’s broader skilling programme focused on areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and sustainability.
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