IIT Delhi has converted its SMITA (Smart Materials and Innovative Textile Applications) Research Lab to a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Smart Textiles. 

The SMITA Research LabCoE in Smart Textiles has been established to work in the area of Smart and Functional Textiles using emerging materials and process technologies, which can directly benefit the country’s textile industry. Major thrust areas of this CoE would be:

1. Development of highly functional and high-performance textile materials using nanomaterials, nanofibres, and nano-engineered materials. 
2. Development of wearable textiles, also known as Electronic-Textiles. 
3. Development of functional textiles for healthcare applications.

Textiles is an important area for India as it is the second-largest employer after agriculture. Textiles contribute significantly to our economy through both domestic consumption and exports. However, the apparel sector is facing stiff competition from other low cost producing countries. 

On the other hand, Technical Textiles, which are technology-driven, are widely used in multiple sectors ranging from healthcare to aerospace and can fetch good returns for the Indian textile industry. Keeping this in mind, the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, has recently launched a National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM) and laid special emphasis on the development of Technical Textiles in the country. 

SMITA Research Lab at IIT Delhi has been actively engaged in this area for the last several years and has contributed immensely through research and development. It has been instrumental in developing several novel technologies for the first time in the country, such as nanomaterial based antibacterial, antiviral and self-cleaning finishes, nanofibre based nostril filters (also known as Nasofilters) and automobile filters, continuous electrospinning machines, textile-based sensors and energy harvesting devices, high-performance fibres to name a few. 

SMITA Research Lab has been partnering with Indian Industry and startup companies and has taken several of these technologies from lab-scale to commercial domain. 

SMITA Research Lab, with the generous funding from the Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Education, Department of Science and Technology, and the Industry partners under various research projects has been able to establish state-of-the-art research facilities, which are unique in the country and can be used for expeditious development of new smart technologies.