India Launches Technology Mission for Technical Textiles

The Indian government has launched a five-year technical textiles mission to boost the growth of its nascent nonwovens and specialty textiles sector. The plan runs through 2015 and will be funded by an outlay of $45 million. The mission was announced on Jan. 20 by Rita Menon, India’s Textile Secretary, in an event jointly organized by the Ministry of Textiles and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi.

The initiative is broken into two “mini-missions”:
1. The first will focus on establishing four centers of excellence and enhance the research and development capabilities in India. The four centers planned are nonwovens, composites, indutech and sportech, and each will be given up to $5.45 million.
2. The second will focus on marketing aspects in order to boost both domestic consumption and export opportunities.

Depending on when the funds will be disbursed, projects could begin as early as April 2011. The mission opens up opportunities for fiber producers, consultants, and machinery makers, and will explore many types of fibers including cotton and recycled fibers.