John Cockerill Partners With IIT Bombay To Advance Steel Decarbonisation, Green Hydrogen, And Defense Technologies

John Cockerill has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), one of India’s leading research and academic institutions. This partnership is aimed at driving innovation in three key areas: steel decarbonization technology, the green hydrogen value chain, and the development of defense products. The collaboration is expected to support the growth of India’s infrastructure, strengthen national security, and advance the country’s sustainability goals.

Through this MoU, John Cockerill and IIT Bombay will work together on joint research initiatives. Their focus will be on developing new technologies to help the steel sector reduce carbon emissions, making the industry more sustainable. They will also collaborate on advancing the green hydrogen value chain, which includes the production, storage, transportation, and use of green hydrogen. Additionally, both partners will work on the development of defense products that contribute to strengthening national security.

This partnership combines IIT Bombay’s strong academic background and research capabilities with John Cockerill’s global engineering expertise. Together, they aim to create innovative solutions that can meet the changing needs of the steel sector and the defense industry while supporting India’s clean energy transition. One of the future goals of the collaboration is to establish Centres of Excellence. These centers will be dedicated to steel technology, defense products, and the green hydrogen value chain, offering a platform for research and development as well as training and capacity building.

Vivek Bhide, Regional President for India and Group Transformation Officer at John Cockerill, said that this collaboration is a big step in finding solutions to some of the major challenges in the steel, energy, and defense sectors. He added that by working with IIT Bombay, the company hopes to open up new opportunities in steel decarbonization, national security, and clean energy. He believes this partnership will lead to important advancements that benefit not just the industries involved but also society as a whole.

Prof. Sachin Patwardhan, Dean of Research and Development at IIT Bombay, also expressed his optimism about the partnership. He mentioned that IIT Bombay is committed to building strong links between academic research and real-world applications. According to him, the partnership with John Cockerill fits perfectly with the institute’s vision of using research to bring about technological progress and industrial innovation. He highlighted that by combining the strengths of IIT Bombay and John Cockerill, the collaboration could lead to impactful solutions that address important challenges and provide real benefits to society.

This partnership is part of John Cockerill’s wider efforts to support India’s energy transition. The company is focusing on green hydrogen technologies, steel decarbonization, and advanced defense products. In addition to technical collaboration, the agreement includes initiatives to promote talent development. These efforts include internship programs for students, doctoral research opportunities, and training programs for faculty members.

By working together, John Cockerill and IIT Bombay aim to contribute to India’s goals of building a cleaner and more secure future. The partnership seeks to encourage innovation and research that not only supports industrial growth but also helps India move toward its sustainability and energy independence targets.