The Board will provide financial assistance of ₹5 crore initially for two years for the establishment and running of Centre of Excellence. 

The Coir Board has signed MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras to establish a Centre of Excellence for the application of coir exclusively or in combination with other natural fibres.

 It was at the instance of Union Minister of MSME Nitin Gadkari, the IIT-Madras had earlier validated the research studies so far were undertaken by the Coir Board and other agencies in India on Coir Geo-Textiles (CGT) and recommended that CGT can be successfully used to prevent soil erosion in slopes/embankments, river embankments, mine slope dumps stabilisation etc. The institute has also recommended the use of CGT in the low volume rural roads as a re-enforcement material. 

The centre aims at furthering the research work in the coir sector with the support of IIT-Madras. It will also support the development of relevant technology and evolve standards for production and processing through specific projects and monitor research projects and mentor of Coir Board’s research institutes/laboratories. 

The Board will provide financial assistance of ₹5 crore initially for two years for the establishment and running of Centre of Excellence.