Indian Economy News

Centre has approved the Startup Guidelines dedicated to Technical Textiles

Mr. Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary of Textiles, during a press conference held on the significant developments in the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), informed that the Ministry of Textiles has approved the Startup Guidelines for Technical Textiles - Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT), providing grant-in-aid up to Rs. 50 lakh (US$ 60,533) for up to a period of 18 months.

The guidelines emphasise helping individuals and companies to translate prototypes into innovations and products, including commercialisation, with a specific emphasis on creating the Startup Ecosystem in Technical Textiles.

The GREAT Guidelines give emphasis to the development of technical textiles in the following application areas: agrotextiles, building textiles, geotextiles, homes textiles, medical textiles, mobile textiles, packaging textiles, protective textiles, sports textiles, smart textiles using artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, 3D/4D printing, and rapid prototyping, as well as development of indigenous textiles.

The Ministry will give incubators an additional 10% of the entire grant-in-aid as incentives. A minimum investment of 10% of the funding from the incubatee in two equal instalments is required to foster authenticity and commitment to the project. The Startup Guidelines (GREAT) will give the technical textiles startup ecosystem in India the much-needed boost it needs, especially in specialised sub-segments like biodegradable and sustainable textiles, high-performance & speciality fibres, and smart textiles, among others.

26 institutes received approval from the ministry to upgrade their laboratory facilities and to train instructors in the use of technical textiles. The applications of 26 institutions for the creation and implementation of technical textile courses/papers in important departments/specialisations as well as the launch of a new degree programme in technical textiles have been authorised by the ministry.

A total of 15 applications totalling Rs. 105.55 crore (US$ 12.8 million) and 11 applications totalling Rs. 45.47 crore (US$ 5.5 million) from private institutes were approved, with a total value of Rs.151.02 crore (US$ 18.3 million).

IIT Delhi, NIT Jalandhar, NIT Durgapur, NIT Karnataka, NIFT Mumbai, ICT Mumbai, Anna University, PSG College of Technology, and Amity University are just a few of the prestigious institutions that will receive funding through the programme.

Notably, the majority of the funding to be provided for the upgradation of existing courses including Departments related to Textile Technology & Fibre Sciences to upgrade courses in all application areas of technical textiles including speciality fibres; Departments related to Design/Civil Engineering to upgrade courses in Geotextiles & Building textiles; Departments related to Fashion Technology/Design to upgrade courses in Smart Textiles, Protective Textiles, Sports Textiles, Home Textiles, Cloth Textiles; Department of Mechanical Engineering to upgrade courses in Mobile Textile, Industrial Textiles; and a New Degree Programme in Technical Textiles with a predominant emphasis on all application areas of Technical Textiles.

Additionally, the Ministry will reopen the Guidelines for Authorising Academic Institutes in Technical Textiles' Education in India (Round II) under the NTTM with somewhat broader criteria, including NBA score of 750 and above, NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) rating of A+/3.26 or above, or top 200 NIRF (National Institute Ranking Framework) ranked institutes as eligible private institutes under the Education Guidelines 2.0. The guidelines, which are aimed at adding new courses and papers to the academic year 2025-26's curriculum, have been in principle approved.

Regarding technical textile quality and regulation, the Ministry has already issued 02 Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 31 technical textile goods, including 12 protective textiles and 19 geotextiles, that will take effect on October 7, 2023. In addition, 28 QCOs, comprising 22 agrotextiles and six medical textiles, are in the final stages of issuance and are anticipated to be released in September 2023.

28 more categories, such as building textiles, industrial textiles, ropes & cordages, and others, are also taken into account for QCOs.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.