Hummingbird News Desk
CHENNAI, 22 MAY: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has partnered with Shell India to launch the Shell IITM Centre for Energy Research (SICER). The inauguration ceremony took place today at the Shell Technology Centre in Bengaluru, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration between academia and industry to address critical challenges in the energy sector.
SICER, a central hub for innovation and research in energy, will operate for the next five years. The initiative aims to foster research, development, piloting, and commercialization of energy technologies. This collaboration promises to enhance research in key areas of the energy transition, nurture energy start-ups by leveraging IIT Madras’ start-up ecosystem, and facilitate knowledge exchange through the Shell Chair Professorship.
Dr. Ajay Mehta, VP Engineering Technology at Shell, emphasized the importance of this partnership, stating, “We are proud to expand our partnership with IIT Madras with the launch of SICER, demonstrating our commitment to promoting open innovation, research, and technology development across the wide spectrum of the energy transition. Our past successful R&D projects with IIT Madras underscore the potential of this collaboration to address one of the world’s most critical challenges – the energy transition.”
Dr. Satyanarayanan Seshadri has been appointed the first-ever Shell Chair Professor at IIT Madras. As the Head of the Energy Consortium at IIT Madras and a faculty member in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Seshadri brings a wealth of expertise to the role. His leadership is expected to be instrumental in guiding research activities at SICER and fostering strong collaborative ties between academia and industry.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Dr. Seshadri said, “As the Shell Chair Professor, I am honoured to lead the research efforts at SICER. Our mission is to unlock the full potential of our partnership by leveraging our shared interests in areas such as R&D and startup incubation, while also actively seeking out new opportunities for collaboration.”
Dr. Nikhil Tambe, CEO of the Energy Consortium at IIT Madras, highlighted the significance of the launch, stating, “We are excited to announce the launch of SICER, as well as the appointment of Dr. Seshadri as our inaugural Shell Chair Professor. This event represents a significant step forward and will galvanize our collaborative efforts in strategic areas of advanced energy research and innovation in close collaboration with Shell.”
The establishment of SICER underscores a shared commitment to advancing energy research and innovation, with the potential to significantly impact the global energy landscape.
Tags: #IITM #SICER #Chennai #IITMadras #ShellIndia
