The government has approved Rs 13.65 crore in funding for 31 start-ups developing technical textile technologies, as it seeks to push innovations in the sector towards commercial applications across healthcare, defence, space and sustainable materials.

Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the 31 projects have been approved at a combined cost of Rs 15.40 crore. The Government of India’s contribution accounts for nearly 89 per cent of the total approved project cost.

The funding comes 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 approved projects cover applications where textiles are being used as functional or performance materials rather than conventional fabric.

In healthcare, the government is funding a smart vest designed for continuous heart-rhythm monitoring and arrhythmia detection, e-textiles for healthcare and wellness wearables, surgical simulation models and biomaterial-based medical textile products. The portfolio also includes self-sanitising personal protective medical apparel, antimicrobial textiles for hospitals and flushable sanitary pads.

For defence and aerospace, projects include a radome-integrated identification friend-or-foe (IFF) antenna, braided composites for defence and automobile applications and a space-deployable communication antenna. Another project is developing lightweight thermal and radiation-shielding composite tiles for space applications.

The funding also extends to high-performance sports equipment, extreme-cold protective clothing and advanced composite materials.

Sustainability In Focus
Several projects focus on replacing conventional materials or reducing waste in textile production. These include algae-based coated textiles as an alternative to leather and synthetic materials, pineapple-based protective fabric, sustainable fibres using spider-silk technology and textile waste composite panels for building applications.

The list also includes industrial hemp composites and fine-count hemp yarn and blends for antimicrobial wound-dressing materials and coveralls.

One project is developing a zero-solid-discharge system aimed at recovering resources from residues generated by textile and industrial zero-liquid-discharge plants.

Commercialisation Push
The funding is intended to help start-ups move their technologies towards commercialisation, with the government identifying industry partnerships, prototype development and field trials as key steps towards market adoption.

The NTTM has been allocated Rs 256 crore for 2026-27, including funding for start-up grants under the GREAT scheme. The ministry has separately constituted committees to evaluate proposals and monitor the progress of approved projects.

Telangana has 15 research projects approved under the NTTM, along with one application from an educational institution under the ministry’s technical textiles education programme.

The government is also conducting workshops and outreach programmes to connect start-ups with industry and support the scaling of projects.