Andhra partners IIT Tirupati, UNSW for solar manufacturing centre

The Centre of Excellence at IIT Tirupati will focus on solar manufacturing, research, workforce development and technology commercialisation under an Andhra Pradesh-Australia partnership.

In a major step towards strengthening Andhra Pradesh's renewable energy ecosystem, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, to establish a Centre of Excellence for Solar Manufacturing at IIT Tirupati.

 

The partnership was formally signed in the presence of Australian Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill MP, marking another milestone in the growing strategic partnership between Andhra Pradesh and Australia.

 

The Centre of Excellence will drive cutting-edge research, innovation, technology development and workforce development, creating a globally competitive talent pipeline to support Andhra Pradesh's clean energy ambitions. The initiative aligns with the state's vision of building not only renewable energy capacity but also a complete ecosystem of world-class research, advanced manufacturing and skilled professionals to power India's clean energy transition.

   

The partnership brings together the Government of Andhra Pradesh's Centre of Excellence for Energy Transition (CoEET), IIT Tirupati and UNSW Sydney, one of the world's top 20 universities and a global leader in solar photovoltaic research and clean energy innovation.

 

The Centre of Excellence will focus on advancing solar photovoltaic manufacturing, recycling and circularity, workforce development, advanced research, technology commercialisation and industry collaboration. It will facilitate industry-oriented training programmes, executive education, faculty development, professional certifications, collaborative research, laboratory development and international knowledge exchange, creating a strong pipeline of engineers, researchers and industry professionals for the renewable energy sector.

 

The partnership is the outcome of discussions initiated by Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh during his visit to Australia in October 2025, when strengthening collaboration with leading Australian universities in renewable energy research, advanced manufacturing and workforce development was identified as a key priority. Over the past several months, officials from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, IIT Tirupati and UNSW worked together to translate those discussions into a concrete partnership.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Nara Lokesh said: “Andhra Pradesh is pursuing one of India's most ambitious renewable energy programmes. Our vision goes beyond creating renewable energy capacity—we are building a complete ecosystem that combines advanced manufacturing, world-class research, innovation and highly skilled talent. Our partnership with IIT Tirupati and UNSW, one of the world's leading universities, will help establish Andhra Pradesh as a centre for clean energy innovation while preparing the next generation of engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs who will power India's energy transition.”

 

The partnership further reinforces Andhra Pradesh's commitment to creating a globally competitive renewable energy ecosystem by bringing together government, academia and industry to accelerate innovation, research, advanced manufacturing and human capital development in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the global economy.

 

The programme was attended by Education Secretary Kona Sasidhar, Commissioner of School Education Tameem Ansaria, Commissioner of Higher Education Narayana Bharat Gupta, AP Skill Development Corporation Managing Director Ganesh Kumar, IIT Tirupati Director K N Satyanarayana, Australian Consul-General in Chennai Silai Zaki, UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global) Lisa Zamberlan, Rebound founder Todd King, and other senior officials from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, IIT Tirupati, UNSW and the Australian Government.