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IIT Madras, Hyundai Launch £17m Hydrogen Research Centre

2025-07-11

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) have announced the establishment of the Hyundai HTWO Innovation Centre, a cutting-edge hydrogen research facility set to begin operations by 2026.

The Rs 180 crore (approx. £17 million or USD 21.5 million) project will be located at IIT Madras' Discovery Campus in Thaiyur, near Chennai. Of the total, Rs 100 crore (approx. £9.4 million) has been committed by HMIL and its philanthropic arm, Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), with support from the Government of Tamil Nadu and its investment promotion agency, Guidance Tamil Nadu.

Spanning 65,000 square feet, the centre will feature advanced experimental and computational labs for green hydrogen research, including:

Digital twin simulations of hydrogen infrastructure

Test rigs and fabrication lines

Containerised pilot zones to evaluate electrolyser and fuel cell systems at industrial scale

IIT Madras will lead the development and operation of the facility, aiming to make it a national platform for collaboration across academia, research labs, industry, and government policy.

The initiative stems from a memorandum signed during the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2024, and is being driven by Hyundai’s HTWO hydrogen brand, alongside IIT Madras faculty and state partners.

The launch ceremony saw participation from Hyundai executives, IIT Madras leadership, CSIR-NCL, the Korean Consulate, and key stakeholders across sectors.

Separately, IIT Madras is expanding its ‘School Connect’ programme. Previously offering two courses—Data Science and AI, and Electronic Systems—the programme now includes 10 online certificate courses for students in Classes 10 to 12. Each course will run for eight weeks, promoting early STEM engagement nationwide.