Honeywell and UNC Charlotte today announced a new relationship that will expand workforce development in STEM fields and fuel long-term economic growth through enhanced education opportunities.
Through a $10 million Honeywell investment in UNC Charlotte, the public-private collaboration will transform the university’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 investment also supports scholarships for high-achieving students, integrated research opportunities and endowed faculty positions that strengthen research and teaching excellence.
“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 the longer term, to enable students with best-in-class abilities through projects, mentorship and job opportunities.”
The Honeywell investment builds on UNC Charlotte’s recent R1 research designation, one of the highest recognitions for universities, to advance applied research in areas such as AI safety, grid resilience and smart infrastructure.
“As the region’s only R1 research 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.”
Driving Research & Collaboration with the Honeywell Innovation Hub
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.
Enhancing Student Experience, Faculty Excellence with Multiple Support Programs
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 help solve 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, which will support breakthrough innovation in the respective fields and help attract and retain the highest caliber of faculty to the university
This important initiative is an extension of Honeywell’s long-standing secondary education programs, which include those with FIRST Robotics, Discovery Education and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
Today, Kapur and Gaber hosted the UNC Charlotte and regional business community 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.
