TDB backs Multi Nano Sense with ₹37.51 crore to build indigenous multi-gas sensor platform

The Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science & Technology has signed an agreement with Multi Nano Sense Technologies Private Limited, based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, extending ₹37.51 crore in financial support through the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The project carries a total approved cost of ₹75.02 crore and centres on building a Platform MEMS + AFE SoC Multi-Gas Sensor, with the aim of advancing the technology from Technology Readiness Level 4 to Level 9. The funding will be routed as Optionally Convertible Debt.

Multi Nano Sense is developing an indigenous MEMS TCDIR gas sensor alongside a CMOS analog front-end system-on-chip platform, designed to deliver reliable and scalable multi-gas sensing in a compact form factor. The technology pairs a MEMS-based sensing element with an application-specific front-end chip that handles signal acquisition and processing. Its intended applications include leak detection, process control, and health and safety monitoring, with potential deployment across refineries, petrochemicals, power, PNG infrastructure, industrial safety, batteries, and the hydrogen economy.

The platform is being built around a combination of high sensitivity, low power consumption, and miniaturised intelligent signal processing. It is intended to operate across a wide temperature range and in demanding industrial settings, and will incorporate auto-calibration, compensation for environmental parameters, and software-based gas-library processing. The targeted response time is under 200 milliseconds. Its compact architecture, with a sensor package designed to measure less than 25 mm × 25 mm × 15 mm, also opens possibilities for battery-operated and embedded applications.

The RDI-supported programme will allow the company to carry out further development, integration, testing, validation, and scale-up of the sensor and AFE SoC platform, with the ultimate goal of reaching TRL-9. The project falls under the Deep Technology sector, with Quantum Technology identified as the sub-sector. While the immediate application is advanced multi-gas sensing, the underlying platform brings together MEMS, semiconductor electronics, and intelligent sensing — areas that are increasingly important for building indigenous technology capabilities.

Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB, said sensors are the foundation of many modern technology systems, and indigenous capabilities in sensing and semiconductor technologies matter for both industrial competitiveness and strategic self-reliance. He noted that the RDI Fund allows the board to support technologies that need sustained development before they can reach widespread commercial deployment, and that the agreement with Multi Nano Sense shows how such backing can help Indian deep-tech companies move advanced sensor technologies from development to scalable, market-ready solutions.

A representative of Multi Nano Sense Technologies said the RDI support would help the company take its MEMS gas-sensing technology to the next stage of integration, validation, and scale-up. The objective, the representative said, is to develop a compact, low-power, and scalable multi-gas sensing platform capable of addressing demanding applications across industries, and the support would be instrumental in advancing the technology towards TRL-9 and strengthening indigenous capabilities in MEMS and sensor electronics.