Shell India and the Energy Consortium at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have joined forces to establish the Shell IITM Centre for Energy Research (SICER). Today, May 22, saw the inauguration ceremony of the Research Centre at the Shell Technology Centre in Bengaluru.

The main outcomes of this undertaking are to collaborate on research projects addressing significant challenges and opportunities in the energy transition sector and to support energy start-ups by utilising IIT Madras' start-up ecosystem, according to a press release from IIT Madras.

Shell and IIT Madras will be able to share expertise and experience thanks to the Shell Chair Professorship, which will also allow Shell to keep up its involvement in the Energy Consortium. Dr Satyanarayanan Seshadri, Head of the Energy Consortium was announced as the Shell Chair Professor at IIT Madras.

“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 start-up incubation, while also actively seeking out new opportunities for collaboration,” Seshadri says, speaking about the collaboration. 

The collaboration will be centralised under SICER for five years and will support energy-related technology innovation, research, development, piloting, and commercialisation.