TechnoSport and the Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) IIT Delhi have signed an MoU to establish T-CREST, a research and entrepreneurship centre focused on developing performance sports textiles and sportswear for Indian athletes.
New Delhi, 16 September 2026 — TechnoSport has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) IIT Delhi, under the Atal Innovation Mission supported by NITI Aayog, to establish the TechnoSport Center for Research and Entrepreneurship in Sports Textile (T-CREST) at IIT Delhi’s Sonipat campus.
The initiative aims to strengthen scientific and engineering capabilities in India for developing performance sportswear around the requirements of Indian athletes and sporting conditions.
As part of the collaboration, TechnoSport will invest ₹4.5 crore over three years towards sports-textile research, prototyping and capability building. The partnership will bring together TechnoSport’s experience in textiles, product development and manufacturing with IIT Delhi’s scientific and engineering expertise.
T-CREST to Study Performance Textiles
T-CREST will focus on examining how material science and garment engineering can influence athletic performance, comfort and recovery.
The research will consider the interaction between the athlete, sport, environment and garment, with the objective of translating scientific findings into sportswear products. Athletes, coaches, textile scientists and sports-science specialists will contribute to research and validation activities.
At the elite level, sportswear can influence how athletes manage factors such as heat, moisture, movement and comfort. T-CREST will study these aspects through an athlete-focused research approach.
The MoU signing took place in the presence of Prof. Vivek V. Buwa, Deputy Director (Strategic & Planning), IIT Delhi; Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, MD FITT, IIT Delhi; Mr. Alok Pandey, CEO AIC IIT Delhi; Prof. Bipin Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, IIT Delhi; and Puspen Maity, CEO, Technosport.
Focus on Indigenous Sports-Textile Capabilities
T-CREST will be housed within the Atal Incubation Centre at IIT Delhi’s Sonipat campus, a deep-tech incubator established under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), an initiative of NITI Aayog, Government of India.
The collaboration extends beyond individual sportswear products, with an aim to engage India’s start-up ecosystem and support the development of sports-textile technologies, scientific expertise, specialist talent, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.
The centre will bring together researchers, students, entrepreneurs, athletes and industry experts to support the development of sports-technology ventures. Its location also places the initiative near Haryana’s established sporting ecosystem, where many sportspersons representing India train.
Sports Economy Creates New Opportunities
The partnership comes as India’s sports economy continues to develop. The Google-Deloitte Think Sports: Unlocking India’s $130B Sports Potential report projects that India’s sports market could reach $130 billion by 2030.
The report also projects employment across the sports sector to increase from 4.7 million to 10.5 million, representing nearly 58 lakh additional jobs.
The collaboration is intended to connect scientific research and product development with the expanding requirements of India’s sports ecosystem.
TechnoSport Highlights Research and Manufacturing
Speaking on the MoU, Sunil Jhunjhunwala, Co-Founder and Managing Director, TechnoSport, said, “India has the scientific talent, manufacturing depth and sporting ambition to create world-class performance sportswear here. Through our partnership with IIT Delhi, T-CREST gives us the opportunity to combine rigorous scientific research with TechnoSport’s experience in textiles, product development and manufacturing. Our ₹4.5 crore commitment is about building the science, capabilities and talent required to develop high-performance products in India that can stand alongside the best globally.”
Puspen Maity, CEO, Technosport, said, “India’s opportunity is not just to develop new textile technologies, but to turn them into commercially viable products that can reach millions of consumers. T-CREST brings together scientific know-how, product development and execution with our understanding of manufacturing, markets and consumers, helping take an innovation from the lab to a product that can be successfully built, launched and adopted at scale.”
AIC IIT Delhi Focuses on Research-to-Application Link
Commenting on the collaboration, Alok Pandey, CEO, AIC IIT Delhi, said, “T-CREST is an opportunity to bring researchers, innovators, industry, coaches and athletes together to build technology-led solutions for the future of sports in India. By connecting IIT Delhi’s research capabilities with Technosport’s product development and manufacturing expertise, we aim to create a stronger pathway from research and innovation to real-world sporting applications. I also thank Prof. Bipin Kumar from IIT Delhi’s Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering for his instrumental role in shaping this partnership and his continued support in taking this initiative forward.”
The collaboration will create opportunities for IIT Delhi faculty, students, researchers and innovators to work closely with TechnoSport’s R&D and product teams.
The partnership is also intended to strengthen industry-academia exchange and support the development of specialists in performance textiles, while connecting research, manufacturing and sports applications within India’s sports-textile ecosystem.