TDB Backs Indigenous Multi-Gas Sensor With Rs 37.51 Crore

The Technology Development Board (TDB) of the Department of Science and Technology has signed an agreement with Multi Nano Sense Technologies Private Limited of Nagpur, Maharashtra, extending Rs 37.51 crore of financial support under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The project's total approved cost is Rs 75.02 crore, and the assistance will flow through Optionally Convertible Debt.

What is being built

The company is developing a Platform MEMS and AFE SoC Multi-Gas Sensor, in which a sensing element built on micro-electro-mechanical systems is paired with an application-specific analogue front-end system-on-chip that acquires and processes the signal. The aim of the project is to carry the technology from TRL-4 to TRL-9, that is, from a validated laboratory design to a proven, deployable product. The firm is working on an indigenous MEMS TCDIR gas sensor along with a CMOS AFE SoC platform so that several gases can be sensed reliably in a compact package.

Design targets

• High sensitivity with low power consumption in a miniaturised package
• Operation across a wide temperature range and in demanding industrial settings
• Auto-calibration, compensation for environmental parameters and software-driven gas-library processing
• A response time of less than 200 milliseconds for rapid detection
• A sensor package smaller than 25 mm by 25 mm by 15 mm, which allows battery-operated and embedded use

Where it will be used

Gas detection matters across industrial safety, hydrogen infrastructure, energy systems and process monitoring. The platform is designed for leak detection, process control and health and safety monitoring, with likely users in refineries, petrochemicals, power generation, piped natural gas networks, industrial safety, batteries and the hydrogen economy. The project sits in the Deep Technology sector, with Quantum Technology identified as its sub-sector.

Why the support matters

TDB Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Pathak said sensors are the foundation of many modern technology systems and that home-grown strength in sensing and semiconductor technologies serves both industrial competitiveness and strategic self-reliance. He noted that the RDI Fund is designed for technologies needing sustained development before they can be sold at scale. The company said the support would let it move its MEMS gas-sensing work into the next phase of integration, validation and scale-up. Because the platform brings MEMS fabrication, semiconductor electronics and intelligent sensing together, its value extends beyond gas detection to India's wider capability in advanced sensors and chips.