Govt Greenlights INR 50 Lakh Grants Each For 4 Technical Textile Startups

The Ministry of Textiles on Tuesday (August 27) approved grants of nearly INR 50 Lakh each for four startups under the grant for research & entrepreneurship across aspiring innovators in technical textiles (GREAT) scheme.

The grants were approved during the 8th empowered programme committee (EPC) meeting under the National Technical Textiles Mission. Secretary, textiles ministry, chaired the meeting, which approved the emoluments. 

The selected startups will work on projects across areas such as composites, sustainable textiles and smart textiles.

In a statement, the ministry also said that the committee also approved a grant of nearly INR 20 Cr for five educational Institutes to introduce courses related to technical textiles in their curriculum. 

“The approved educational institutes have proposed to introduce new B.Tech courses in different fields and applications of technical textiles including geotextiles, geosynthetics, composites, civil structures, etc.,” added the ministry. 

Part of the larger National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), the GREAT scheme aims to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in the space of technical textiles. The grants cover niche sub-segments of technical textiles namely biodegradable and sustainable textiles, high-performance and specialty fibers and smart textiles. 

Technical textiles are manufactured for their technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic and decorative features. They are used across industries such as automobiles, civil engineering and construction, and agriculture. 

Under the initiative, the government offers support to help startups build functional prototypes or for “commercialisation” their technologies. The idea for the grants was first envisaged in October 2023 when the Ministry announced plans for such a move.

The Centre aims to support 150 startups under the initiative to promote innovations in technical textiles. Additionally, the ministry will also provide 10% of total grant-in-aid to incubators and has approved a total funding of INR 151 Cr for 26 institutes for upgrading the laboratories and developing and introducing courses on technical textiles. 

This comes two months after the Ministry approved grants worth INR 50 Lakhs each for seven startups in the technical textiles sector under the same scheme. 

Owing to their use in areas such as aerospace, agriculture and automobiles, technical textiles have seen an uptick in consumption in recent years. This has spawned the rise of startups such as Resham Sutra, Chematico Technologies, Greenwear, among others. 

As per a report, the Indian technical textile industry is estimated to reach a market size of $309 Bn by 2047.