IISc signs research agreement with Shell India

Focus of partnership will be on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and promotion of decarbonisation

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Shell India signed an agreement on September 15 to enter into a partnership to promote research and development in the areas of energy and environment.

Signed in the presence of Govindan Rangarajan, Director, Indian Institute of Science and Yuri Sebregts, Chief Technology Officer, Shell, the partnership aims to build on cutting-edge energy and environment-related research being carried out at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research (ICER), IISc.

The focus of the partnership will mainly be on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the promotion of decarbonisation. This will be achieved through innovations like low-carbon fuels, distributed electrification, carbon sinks, hydrogen generation, efficient power and refrigeration cycles using supercritical carbon dioxide, and so on. The faculty members and students of IISc and Shell scientists will work on structured research projects which will be initiated under the research agreement at IISc.

“Decarbonisation of diverse industrial sectors and increased access to clean energy through technological intervention has a special place in the Indian context, given its push for net-zero emissions. With climate change taking centre stage, a strong emphasis is on decarbonisation through alternative fuels and improving efficiency as well as utilisation of existing fuels” the release from IISc said.

Mr Rangarajan said, “This collaboration with Shell India will help us tackle pressing energy challenges at the national and international level through cutting-edge technology development that will help reduce the global carbon footprint. We are excited to partner with Shell India to achieve these ambitious goals”.

Further, the collaboration envisions to develop India – focused solutions, to meet the energy transition needs which are outlined by the Government of India. Through training programmes at post-graduate level, the collaboration will provide opportunities for students to pursue industrial internships and also encourage entrepreneurial ventures.

“This partnership demonstrates how crucial it is for academia and industry to collaborate. By integrating expertise from diverse partners, we are able to accelerate the development of ground-breaking technologies that provide much-needed solutions for the energy transition. I look forward to the impactful innovations that no doubt will follow from this research agreement with IISc,” said Yuri Sebregts, Chief Technology Officer at Shell.