Honeywell and IIT Bombay Launch Centre of Excellence for Sustainability Skills

Honeywell has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to establish a Centre of Excellence at the institute’s Powai campus aimed at strengthening sustainability-related skills and innovation in India.

The initiative aims to train more than 100,000 students by 2030 through an industry–academia collaboration.

The proposed IIT Bombay–Honeywell Centre of Excellence for Future Skills & Innovation will be fully funded by the Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the company’s philanthropic arm in India. The centre will support advanced laboratory infrastructure, procurement of equipment, curriculum development and research and innovation grants.

The programme will begin with a pilot phase over the next two months. During this period, the focus will be on establishing core infrastructure, designing specialised courses and training the first batch of 250 students.

The centre will offer certificate-based programmes combining classroom learning with hands-on projects addressing real-world sustainability challenges. The programmes will be open to undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students from across India.

After the pilot phase, the initiative is expected to scale up significantly, with plans to engage nearly 20,000 students annually through structured learning programmes.

The centre will introduce five key learning tracks: sustainability reporting, sustainable finance, energy security, sustainability infrastructure and policy advocacy. The curriculum aims to address the growing demand for professionals with expertise in sustainability as industries and governments increasingly focus on climate action and responsible development.

“Skilling our workforce is central to building a future-ready and sustainable India,” said Ashish Modi, President, India and Asia Pacific, Honeywell. “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.”

Students enrolled in the programme will complete at least 40 hours of training across the five learning tracks. Courses and applied research will be delivered jointly by IIT Bombay faculty and industry specialists. Honeywell employees will also contribute through volunteer mentorship, technical guidance and career-readiness training.

The collaboration forms part of Honeywell India’s “Saksham” skilling initiative, which focuses on training STEM students in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and sustainability.