Centre of Excellence

Wool Research Association has been designated as centre of Excellence for Sports Textiles and allied products as the lead partner duly supported by consortium partners viz. Veermata Jeejabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Mumbai and M/s. Kusumgar Corporates, Mumbai. VISION To become a world-class leading service-driven and research-based international technical textile association to serve the textile industry in general and the Sportech sector in particular.

Mission

• To build a complete institution that supports high-quality research and product development on sport textiles for the growth of the textile industry in India.
• To provide a platform for the industry where they can develop new products, upgrade their existing products, and provide them pilot-scale facilities for product development and technology transfer.
• To provide world-class facilities for testing of technical textile materials as per the relevant international standard test methods and to develop new test methods that are not available.
• To encourage and assist new entrepreneurs in the sports textile sector by providing support in project planning, execution, technical know-how, production, and various aspects of management.
• To organize training programs from time to time for the technical and managerial staff of the sports textile industry to meet the requirements of the industry.
• To organize workshops, seminars, and conferences to impart/transfer the knowledge to the industry.
• To impart education in technical textiles to the students of various universities/institutions so that they are ready for the technical textile industry.

Objectives

• The basic objective of the centre of Excellence is to provide infrastructure and facilities at one place for the convenience of the manufacturers of sports textiles. COE facilities will motivate potential entrepreneurs to explore and invest in the emerging business.
• To provide such facilities, it would be necessary to establish suitable laboratory, product, process & prototype development facilities, a sample bank, competent manpower, training facilities, incubation centers, etc., in the identified sector of Sportech.
• The purpose of COE is to provide facilities to the entrepreneurs on the one hand and the suitable products to the users on the other, so that (knowledge-based) T.T. sector develops with government support and initiative, till this value-added sector stands on its own feet to survive and thrive, subsequently having an impact on the textiles industry and the economy of the country.
• Conceptually, the COE would offer its facilities, knowledge, research support, HRD, consultancy, etc. to serious entrepreneurs who would venture into this emerging technology.
• Incubation of new ideas into practical tradable products, and dissemination of information through workshops, seminars, etc. also will be among the activities of the COE.

Targeted beneficiaries

• Producer of raw material and accessories of Sportech products.
• Consumers like sports person, sports bodies, and sports lovers.
• Manufacturer industry of Sportech
• Government sports management authorities
• All stakeholders

Problems to be addressed

• Product vis-à-vis market
• Many of the sportech products are highly specialised requiring extensive R&D.
• Synergy of raw material, product & process development, conformity to strict spn, matching the life of integrated system.
• Appropriate TQM, TQC, RFT, RET, Poka-Yoke System, Source Inspection, etc.
• Non-availability of classified or restricted norms, directives, and standards wrapped with trade secrecy.
• IPR, Sanction of Technology Regime
• Trained manpower.