Honeywell Strengthens Partnership With IISC to Boost Startup Ecosystem and Fuel Local Innovation – CSR Mandate

Bengaluru: Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of Honeywell India, and the Society for Innovation and Development (SID) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have extended their partnership to support 13 new startups to promote research and development (R&D) in deep science and fuel local innovation. HHSIF will provide these startups with seed capital, while SID will offer infrastructure support, access to the right technology, mentoring, and human capital.

Accordingly, startups that have been selected under this round of funding include those working on COVID-19 solutions, developing medical technologies to assist the elderly and differently-abled, building eco-friendly specialty fluorescent dyes, creating a rapid point of care diagnostics tools for use in limited-resource settings, and working on solving issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

“As a technology leader, Honeywell understands the importance of supporting and nurturing startups that are engaged in meaningful research in deep science. We were one of the first companies to dedicate CSR funds to incubate promising technologies. Our partnership with SID is an endeavour towards driving local innovation, fostering a dynamic startup ecosystem and enabling job creation,” said Ashish Gaikwad, Managing Director, Honeywell Automation India Limited and Director, HHSIF.

“At SID, our vision is to inculcate research excellence and nurture startup growth by facilitating access to lab infrastructure, technological support, capital, mentorship, and guidance. We believe that this association with Honeywell will act as a catalyst for technological innovation and lead the way for more corporates to form incubation associations through the CSR route,” said Professor B. Gurumoorthy, Chief Executive, SID, IISc.

Honeywell and SID, IISc entered into a partnership last year to support six startups working on deep science solutions, primarily in the healthcare sector. This partnership seeks to strengthen the country’s startup ecosystem and reinforce technology as a key driver of change.