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
