UNC Charlotte, Honeywell partner to launch Innovation Hub and fuel the STEM workforce

UNC Charlotte and Honeywell have 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. 

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.

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

The inaugural class of six Honeywell Scholars, including CCI students Josiah Beatty, Mikaria Hunt and Sushen Pattipati, were recognized in the ceremony announcing the partnership. Along with their three fellow students from the William States Lee College of Education, they will collectively receive a total of $180,000 through the scholarship program.  

Learn more about the UNC Charlotte and Honeywell partnership.