UNC Charlotte, Honeywell partner to launch Innovation Hub and fuel the STEM workforce
UNC Charlotte and Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) announced a $10 million investment that will expand STEM workforce development and accelerate innovation in the Charlotte region.
The investment will transform UNC Charlotte’s Burson Hall into the Honeywell Innovation Hub — a 155,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art learning complex for applied research and STEM education. The gift also supports scholarships for high-achieving students, integrated research opportunities and endowed faculty positions that strengthen research and teaching excellence.
“As the region’s only R1 university, we have a responsibility to connect our students with real-world experiences and industry-leading partners,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon Gaber. “The Honeywell Innovation Hub will do just that, offering Niners access to advanced tools, collaborative spaces and opportunities that position them to make an immediate impact in their fields. The additional support from Honeywell will also help prepare our students to take the next steps in their careers as future data scientists, engineers and more, ensuring a talented and prepared workforce for our region.”
The partnership builds on UNC Charlotte’s recent R1 designation, advancing use-inspired research in fields critical to industry and society, including AI safety, grid resilience and smart infrastructure.
“Our work with UNC Charlotte not only reflects Honeywell’s global commitment to STEM education that has reached millions of students over the past decade, but it also underscores our long-term focus on growing the innovation landscape, as we build the next generation of talent in Charlotte,” said Vimal Kapur, chairman and CEO of Honeywell. “We will be here — not just for the tenure of making this building — but for many decades ahead, to enable students with best-in-class abilities through projects, mentorship and job opportunities.”
Driving innovation in Charlotte
The Honeywell Innovation Hub, which is expected to open in 2027, will feature project-based engineering labs, active learning classrooms, collaboration hubs and specialized research and simulation spaces.
To enhance the classroom learning and research capabilities across the complex, more than $1 million of the company’s investment will be used for industry-grade technology. Additionally, Honeywell’s building automation technologies will help ensure the facility operates safely, efficiently and securely for students, faculty and staff over the years to come.
Expanding opportunity for students and faculty
Through the partnership, Honeywell and UNC Charlotte are also working to reduce financial barriers and offer hands-on research opportunities to help ensure students graduate with the experience and confidence to succeed in a competitive job market. Together, they will deliver a set of programs that directly benefit students and support faculty success, including:
- STEM Scholarships: 48 scholarships, which will be awarded to Honeywell Scholars over the next decade to support high-achieving students in STEM fields
- Senior Capstone Projects: Annual senior capstone projects, which will connect students with real-world engineers to directly impact the region by solving challenges for Honeywell and its customers
- Faculty Endowments and Research Funding: Four distinguished faculty endowments — two in the William States Lee College of Engineering and two in the College of Computing and Informatics — and additional funds to support critical research projects, including breakthrough innovations in the respective fields and attracting and retaining the highest caliber of faculty to the University
Today, Gaber and Kapur hosted the UNC Charlotte and regional business communities on campus to announce the formation of the partnership and to emphasize the long-term impact of the investment on the University and the region’s growing innovation landscape. The pair, alongside other leaders, also recognized the inaugural class of Honeywell Scholars, which includes six undergraduate students across engineering and computer science programs who will receive a total of $180,000 through the scholarship program.
Read more about scholars from the W.S. Lee College and College of Computing and Informatics who are benefiting from this partnership.