Govt Approves Rs 13.65 Crore For 31 Technical Textile Start-ups
The Government of India has approved Rs 13.65 crore in funding for 31 start-ups developing innovative technical textile technologies for applications across healthcare, defence, aerospace, sports and sustainability.
Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, said the 31 projects have been approved at a combined cost of Rs 15.40 crore, with the Government of India contributing nearly 89% of the total project cost.
The funding is being provided under the Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) scheme, which is part of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM). The scheme aims to help start-ups develop indigenous technologies and bridge the gap between research, prototyping and commercialisation.
In healthcare, approved projects include a smart vest for continuous heart-rhythm monitoring and arrhythmia detection, e-textiles for healthcare and wellness wearables, surgical simulation models and biomaterial-based medical textile products. Other innovations include self-sanitising protective medical apparel, antimicrobial hospital textiles and flushable sanitary pads.
For defence and aerospace, projects include a radome-integrated Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) antenna, braided composites for defence and automotive applications, a space-deployable communication antenna and lightweight thermal and radiation-shielding composite tiles for space applications. Funding also supports high-performance sports equipment, extreme-cold protective clothing and advanced composites.
Sustainability is another key focus. Projects include algae-based coated textiles as alternatives to leather and synthetic materials, pineapple-based protective fabrics, spider-silk-based sustainable fibres and composite panels made from textile waste for building applications. Industrial hemp composites and fine-count hemp yarn and blends are also being developed for applications including antimicrobial wound dressings and protective coveralls.
Another project is developing a zero-solid-discharge system to recover resources from residues generated by textile and industrial zero-liquid-discharge plants.
The funding is intended to accelerate prototype development, industry partnerships, field trials and commercialisation. The Ministry has also constituted committees to evaluate proposals and monitor approved projects, while workshops and outreach programmes are being conducted to connect start-ups with industry.
The NTTM has been allocated Rs 256 crore for 2026-27, including funding for start-up grants under the GREAT scheme. Telangana currently has 15 research projects approved under the NTTM.
