About GREAT Scheme:
- Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) Scheme focuses on supporting individuals and companies to translate prototypes to technologies & products, including commercialisation.
- Aim: To provide much-needed impetus for the development of the technical textiles startup ecosystem in India, especially in niche sub-segments such as bio-degradable and sustainable textiles, high-performance and speciality fibres, and smart textiles.
- Funding:
- Under this scheme, a grant-in-aid of up to Rs 50 lakh for up to a period of 18 months will be provided.
- The textile ministry will additionally provide 10 per cent of the total grant-in-aid to incubators.
- Only a minimum of 10 per cent contribution has to be made by the incubatee.
- All of this is being done by incubators like IITs, NITs, Textiles Research Associations, and Centres of Excellence.
- The textiles ministry has also given a nod to 26 institutes for upgrading their laboratory infrastructure and training of trainers in the application areas of technical textiles.
- The scheme will be commensurate with the National Technical Textiles Mission.
Key facts about the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM)
- It was launched to increase the penetration level of technical textiles in India while leveraging the extraordinary growth rate of the sector.
- The mission aims to position India as a global leader in Technical Textiles.
- The mission will comprise the following four components:
- Research, Innovation and Development
- Promotion and Market Development
- Export Promotion
- Education, Training, Skill Development
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Textiles
- Implementation: It has been approved with an implementation period of four years , starting from FY 2020-21 till FY 2023-24.
