GREAT — ₹50 Lakh Grant for Technical-Textile Startups Under the National Technical Textiles Mission
The textile ministry's startup grant, for the technical end of the industry
Technical textiles — geo-textiles, medical textiles, protective and smart textiles, high-performance fibres, composites — are the fastest-growing segment of the industry, and the National Technical Textiles Mission runs GREAT to get Indian startups into it. Launched in August 2023, the scheme gives an innovator or startup grant-in-aid of up to ₹50 lakh over 18 months to convert a prototype into a marketable technology or product.
The terms are unusually founder-friendly: no equity, no royalty, IP stays with the innovator (or is shared with the incubator by agreement), and the incubator is paid an extra 10% of the government share for mentoring and monitoring. The startup deposits 10% of the sanctioned grant as its own contribution. By the latest count the Ministry had approved 31 startups, with ₹13.65 crore sanctioned, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu leading.
How the grant works
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| Grant | Up to ₹50 lakh per approved proposal, for up to 18 months |
| Release | Milestone-wise, generally 40% : 40% : 20% |
| Own contribution | 10% of the sanctioned grant deposited by the startup |
| Incubator | Additional 10% of the government grant share for mentoring, due diligence and monitoring |
| IP | Remains with the innovator or startup, or shared with the incubator by agreement |
NTTM and its committees
The Ministry of Textiles runs GREAT through the National Technical Textiles Mission. Proposals are screened by a technical evaluation committee and approved by the Mission's empowered committee; disbursement runs through the associated incubator.
Startups and individuals in technical textiles
Startup
- •Private limited company, partnership firm or LLP
- •Turnover below ₹100 crore
- •Not older than five years
- •At least 51% Indian resident ownership and control
Individual innovator
- •Indian citizen aged 21 or above
- •Incubated with an eligible incubator
- •Working on a technical-textile innovation
- •Project in a technical-textile area: agro, geo, medical, protective, smart textiles, high-performance fibres, sustainable textiles, composites, or indigenous machinery and equipment
- •Association with an approved incubator
What the GREAT portal needs
- •Certificate of Incorporation or partnership deed; shareholding with residency of holders; turnover proof
- •Incubator association letter or agreement
- •Technical proposal: product, textile technology, prototype status, development plan, milestones
- •Budget by head with the 10% contribution identified
- •Team CVs; prior work, patents, test results
- •Aadhaar and PAN (individual innovators); age proof
- •Declaration of other government funding for the same project
Questions founders ask about GREAT
No. GREAT is a pure grant with IP staying with the innovator.
Only if the product is a technical textile — functional, protective, medical, smart or high-performance. Conventional apparel is outside the scheme.
Incubators approved under the scheme's guidelines, typically at textile institutes, IITs and NTTM-recognised centres. The GREAT portal lists them.
NTTM invites applications periodically and announces windows on its site. Register the startup and line up the incubator ahead of the call.