The Department of Defense kicked off a competition on Wednesday, March 18, for $75 million in federal fund-matching for advanced fiber and textile research, as part of the Obama Administration's broader initiative to bolster American manufacturing.
The competition seeks to find private partners for a new Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Institute for Manufacturing Innovation that would match $75 million in federal funding with an equal amount of private investment. The $150 million would be used to research, prototype and commercialize fibers and fabrics with exceptional strength, flame resistance, electrical and other novel properties with a wide range of commercial and defense applications.
The research will focus on a range of fiber systems often known as technical textiles, composed of specialty fabrics, industrial fabrics, e-textiles, and advanced textiles built upon a foundation of predominantly synthetic fibers and/or multi-material fibers, according to a U.S. Army solicitation notice.
“With wide-ranging applications, technical textiles can forge the foundation of protective gear for firefighters impervious to the hottest flames, replicate the sensing capabilities of a smart watch into a lightweight fabric, or detect when a wounded soldier needs to be treated with an antimicrobial compression bandage,” the White House said in a press release announcing the competition and several other manufacturing initiatives.
