Mumbai: The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay’s (IIT-B) Research Hub for Green Energy and Sustainability (GESH) on Monday said it received a $18.6 million donation from a US-based alumnus in the final quarter of 2023. The donation stands as “a beacon of India’s growing leadership in green energy and sustainability”, the institute said in a statement.
The green energy initiative by IIT-B aims to expand academic research, bridge it with real-world applications, and foster innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration among academia, industries, and regulatory bodies.
“It aims to enhance the talent pool in sustainability, addressing global challenges like climate change and environmental degradation, helping position India as a global leader in sustainable energy solutions,” the institute said.
According to Director of IIT-B, Prof. Shireesh Kedare, GESH serves as a platform to unify expertise across IIT-B and beyond, driving India’s ambitions in green energy through research, education, and capacity building.
“The vision of GESH IIT-B is to support the transition to green energy (environment-friendly and sustainable energy sources) and sustainability through research, education and capacity building, with academia, industry, regulators and other stakeholders. GESH commitment extends to advancing sustainability, climate services, solutions, and related domains.,” he said.
“One of GESH’s early successes has been the overwhelming response to its call for research proposals on green energy and sustainability with almost 75+ responses, with 22 research projects funded, marking a significant step forward in advancing sustainability-focused research,” according to the institute. These projects, IIT-B added, span fundamental, translational, and educational areas.
“The hub is currently developing industry-tailored training programs, focusing on green energy and sustainability. Plans are underway to expand these initiatives to cultivate a new generation of sustainability leaders equipped to address emerging challenges,” the statement said, adding that a new course — Sustainability Theory to Action — has been initiated at the institute wherein 150+ hours of industry training has been approved to be initiated in the coming months.
“At the IIT-B campus, GESH is laying the foundation for a comprehensive sustainability strategy to create a roadmap that could serve as a model for other institutions. Additionally, a campus sustainability course is in development, fostering environmental responsibility among students and faculty alike. Efforts to raise awareness of sustainable living, including tracking individual carbon footprints, are also underway,” the university added.
Looking ahead, GESH is working to establish a School of Sustainability at IIT-B, which aims to serve as a global hub for education and research in this field.
