MANTRA Wins ITAA Innovation Award 2026

SURAT/MUMBAI :  India’s push for indigenous technical textile technology has received a major boost with Surat-based Man-Made Textile Research Association (MANTRA) being selected for the prestigious ITAA Innovation Award 2026 for developing sustainable and functional multi-filament yarns for advanced applications.

MANTRA has been recognised by the Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA) for its project, “Indigenous Development of Sustainable and Functional Multi-filament Yarn for Advanced Technical Textiles.” The award will be presented at ITTA’s 16th Annual General Meeting at Ginger Mumbai Airport Hotel on September 12.

The innovation has been developed using MANTRA’s in-house melt-spinning technology platform, which can process different polymer sources and functional materials to create application-oriented yarns.

The technology could have significant applications across Sporttech, Protech, Mobiletech and Meditech, while helping Indian manufacturers reduce dependence on specialised imported yarns.

“This award from ITAA is an important recognition of MANTRA’s efforts towards the development of indigenous technologies for value-added and functional yarns,” said MANTRA Director Dr Pankaj Gandhi.

“Our aim is not just to develop new materials, but to establish scalable technologies that can support the Indian industry in developing advanced technical textile products for emerging applications,” he added.

The award also highlights MANTRA’s end-to-end R&D capabilities, particularly in advanced polymer processing, functional fibre and yarn development and sustainable materials.

Umesh Patel, machine operator at MANTRA, will accept the award on behalf of the organisation at the Mumbai ceremony.

The recognition is expected to strengthen MANTRA’s efforts to bridge laboratory research and industrial applications while encouraging greater collaboration between research institutions and the technical textile industry.

The ITAA Innovation Awards recognise significant technological contributions and innovations that strengthen India’s technical textile ecosystem and value chain.