Honeywell has announced an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) to establish a new Centre of Excellence at the institute’s Powai campus. The initiative aims to train more than 100,000 students by 2030 in sustainability-related fields. 

The IIT Bombay–Honeywell Centre of Excellence for Future Skills & Innovation (IITB–Honeywell CoE) will be created and fully funded by Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), Honeywell’s philanthropic arm in India. The centre will provide advanced laboratory infrastructure, support equipment procurement, and enable curriculum design along with research and innovation grants. 

During its pilot phase over the next two months, the IITB–Honeywell CoE will focus on building core infrastructure, developing specialised curriculum modules and training the first batch of 250 students. The centre will offer certificate-based programmes that combine coursework with hands-on projects aligned with real-world sustainability challenges. These programmes will benefit undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students from across the country. 

After the pilot phase, the programme is expected to expand to engage nearly 20,000 students annually during the partnership period through the centre’s structured curriculum. 

As India advances its digital transformation across the economy and key sectors such as energy, the demand for sustainability professionals with cross-disciplinary and technology-driven skills is rising. According to the Economic Survey 2023–24, India aims to generate 3.4 million green jobs by 2030. The renewable energy industry alone faces a deficit of 1.2 million skilled workers, which could increase to 1.7 million by 2027, according to TeamLease. 

The IITB–Honeywell CoE aims to address this demand by integrating classroom learning with applied research across five learning tracks: Sustainability Reporting, Sustainable Finance, Energy Security, Sustainability Infrastructure and Policy Advocacy. 

“Skilling our workforce is central to building a future-ready and sustainable India. Our collaboration with IIT Bombay reinforces Honeywell’s commitment to developing high-quality talent across sustainability fields, as India accelerates growth through its AI-powered digital economy,” said Ashish Modi, President, India and Asia Pacific, Honeywell. “Honeywell’s new CoE aligns with this digital transformation and will equip students with the right industrial skills to support long-term economic growth with sustainability at the core.” 

The course structure for the centre, applicable through 2030, requires each student to complete 40 hours of training across the five learning tracks. Classroom sessions and applied research will be delivered jointly by IIT Bombay faculty and industry specialists. The programmes will also be supported by Honeywell employees through volunteer mentorship, technical guidance and career-readiness training. 

“IIT Bombay has always emphasized translating academic excellence into societal impact,” said Prof Shireesh B. Kedare, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. “The establishment of our Centre of Excellence with Honeywell strengthens that mission by giving students experiential learning beyond the classroom, enabling them to engage meaningfully with real-world sustainability challenges that are critical to India’s future.”