India took a decisive step toward advancing renewable energy leadership and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) integration on December 20, 2025, when the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIM Nagpur) and ONGC Green Limited signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The partnership aims to combine academic excellence and corporate research capacity to support India’s long-term clean energy and sustainability goals.
The MoU was formally endorsed by Prof. Bhimaraya Metri, Director of IIM Nagpur, and Harsh Nupur Joshi, Chief Operating Officer of ONGC Green Limited, signaling mutual commitment to high-impact research and policy work. Both institutional leaders recognized the urgent need to expand India’s renewable energy research, strengthen ESG frameworks, and shape policy that drives sustainable development.
Under the agreement, the collaboration will focus on core areas including environmental sustainability and ESG frameworks, renewable energy integration into power systems, carbon and green credit markets, energy storage technologies, and e-mobility policy insights. This sets a multi-faceted research agenda that bridges corporate operational expertise with academic policy analysis.
Importantly, the MoU also maps academic research with practical implementation timelines and national targets. ONGC Green is targeting 10 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 across solar, wind, biofuels, and green hydrogen projects to support the nation’s transition toward cleaner energy. This ambition aligns with India’s broader climate commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.
The partnership includes capacity-building efforts that aim to train future leaders and develop policy solutions that can be replicated across sectors. By fostering dialogue between scholars and practitioners, the initiative also expects to yield insights into carbon credit markets and other emerging environmental finance mechanisms—key considerations for companies embedding ESG strategies into growth plans.
The choice to situate this collaboration in Nagpur reflects strategic intent to decentralize renewable research beyond traditional urban centers, promoting regional expertise and equitable participation in India’s energy transition. Facilitated by faculty from IIM Nagpur’s energy management programmes and senior representatives from ONGC Green, the initiative creates an ecosystem for sustained innovation.
Strategic significance lies in strengthening India’s competitive edge in renewable energy research while elevating ESG integration across sectors. The collaboration supports policy-relevant research that can influence both corporate strategy and public policy. It also enhances India’s capacity to design practical, scalable solutions that attract investment, accelerate green technology adoption, and contribute to resilient low-carbon growth.
