The Ministry of Textiles is implementing the "Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT)" scheme under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) since 2023 with an objective to support the start-up ecosystem in the Technical Textiles sector by providing assistance to young innovators, scientists, technologists, and start-up ventures in translating their ideas into commercial technologies & products and fostering a culture of rapid translation of ideas and prototypes into products through collaboration among various stakeholders and establishment of a robust start-up ecosystem in the Technical Textiles sector. Since its launch, a total of 31 start-ups have been approved under GREAT scheme at a total cost of Rs 15.40 crore, of which Rs 13.65 crore is Government of India share.

The National Technical Textiles Mission is a pan-India Mission. Under the GREAT scheme, a maximum financial support of Rs. 50 Lakh is provided to each approved start-up. The scheme is open to eligible start-ups in the Technical Textiles sector across the country, including those from eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Mission has carried out multiple public events, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, and outreach activities to promote the GREAT scheme, including in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. These awareness events have been conducted with educational & research institutions, Textile Research Associations, Start-up incubators, etc. which aimed at promoting the various components of the Mission and disseminating scheme-related information.

Under the GREAT scheme, the 31 approved Start-Ups are working across six Technical Textiles segments for prototype development. These include Indutech (11), Meditech (9), Protech (7), Oekotech (2), Buildtech (1), Sportech (1). The State-wise details of Start-ups under various Technical Textiles segment are as under:

Under the GREAT guidelines, commercialization and industry adoption are tracked through incubator-facilitated feedback from industry experts/investors in the final project report. Success is assessed on criteria like prototype/product development and field trials, market launch and further investor funding, and job creation and Start-up turnover. Incubators are further mandated to provide technical/business mentoring, intellectual property and legal support, training, and networking assistance to help translate innovations into market-ready, industry-adopted products.

A Review and Monitoring Committee has been constituted to assess and oversee the progress of the approved start-ups, with the authority to recommend for release of subsequent instalments of grant and closure of projects to the Empowered Programme Committee under NTTM. Further, various public events, workshops, seminars and outreach activities are being organized nationwide to disseminate information about the scheme and facilitate industry engagement for scaling up the potential start-up projects.

The GREAT scheme under NTTM is implemented across the country and the start-ups approved under this scheme covers a wide spectrum of technology domains, including advanced functional textiles such as temperature-responsive and self-sanitizing fabrics, smart textiles featuring graphene-based materials, energy-harvesting fabrics, shape-memory wearables for healthcare, high-performance composites for automotive, construction, and defence applications. They also encompass sustainable, bio-based innovations such as hemp–bioplastic composites, biodegradable tire yarns, and algae-derived leather, as well as medical and healthcare solutions including surgical simulators and antimicrobial textile technologies.

Under NTTM, public events, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, and outreach activities are organized. These initiatives are aimed at promoting the various components of the Mission and also provide a platform for researchers and start-ups to showcase their products and engage with industry stakeholders, including buyers and sellers, to encourage the scaling up of research outcomes and potential start-up projects.

This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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MAM/VN

(Lok Sabha US Q1504)

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