Don & Low Receives Fabric Development Grant

Don & Low, a Scotland-based producer of polypropylene woven and nonwoven fabric, has been awarded Scottish Enterprise’s R&D Plus grant of £144,000 (US$294,000) to aid the company in developing new high-performance fabrics. The grant program was created in 2003 to encourage Scottish companies to engage in research and pre-competitive development of products with global commercial potential, with the aim of promoting research and development investment and job generation.

Don & Low plans to use the grant to develop composite fabrics for use in aircraft manufacturing to reduce weight at take-off, recyclable automotive fabrics, composites to make ballistic panels, and fabrics to improve building insulation and ventilation.

“To keep ahead of the competition, we need to focus on manufacturing higher-performance, higher-value technical textiles with significant export potential,” said David Avril, development manager, Don & Low. “This project will help us exploit anticipated trends, diversify into new markets and secure new orders.”

Scottish Enterprise is the leading economic development agency for Scotland. Its R&D Plus program enables Scottish companies to conduct research and development of products with commercial potential, thereby strengthening competitiveness and boosting employment in Scotland.

October 16, 2007