India’s Coastal Innovation Enters a New Phase with Neiox Eco Cycle

As India accelerates its clean-tech transformation, the maritime sector is often overlooked in sustainability conversations and now it is finding its place in the spotlight.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), India’s largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility, has been leading this shift with its USHUS Maritime Innovation Scheme, designed to empower Indian startups building solutions for green shipping, decarbonization and marine innovation.

In this wave of change, Kerala-based Neiox Eco Cycle has emerged as a standout innovator. The startup has received a ₹75 lakh prototyping grant from CSL to develop a world-first carbon-negative, non-toxic marine hull coating which is an invention that could transform how ships interact with the planet’s oceans.

Marine coatings are critical to global shipping efficiency. They prevent corrosion, reduce drag, and protect hulls from marine growth. Yet, most conventional coatings rely on toxic chemicals that harm aquatic ecosystems. Neiox’s innovation replaces those with a sustainable, pollutant-derived material, proving that the future of maritime tech can be both clean and high-performance.

From Pollutants to Protective Coatings

At the heart of Neiox’s innovation lies a simple but revolutionary idea, turning air pollution into ocean protection.

The company’s carbon-negative marine hull coating is derived from captured air pollutants, transforming particulate matter that would otherwise damage human lungs and the environment into a usable industrial material. This new coating is sustainable, functional and efficient. It offers:

• Anti-corrosive properties: Extending ship lifespans.
• Anti-biofouling characteristics: Reducing algae and barnacle buildup.
• Enhanced fuel efficiency: By minimizing drag and improving hull smoothness.
• Reduced CO₂ emissions: As smoother hulls mean less energy consumption.

The result is a climate-positive innovation, one that not only reduces the shipping industry’s carbon footprint but actively offsets it.

By converting captured pollutants into high-performance coatings, Neiox is literally transforming environmental liabilities into industrial assets, setting a new benchmark for circular innovation.

The Grant and Collaboration

The ₹75 lakh prototyping grant was awarded to Neiox Eco Cycle under the USHUS Maritime Innovation Scheme, an initiative by Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) to foster innovation in India’s maritime ecosystem.

The agreement was officially signed at IIM Kozhikode, in the presence of key leaders including CSL Chief General Manager (Design) K.R. Anjana, IIM Kozhikode Executive Director Dr. Ashutosh Sarkar and LIVE IIM Kozhikode Senior General Manager Lijo P. Jose.

The collaboration marks a rare convergence of government, academia and enterprise connecting CSL’s maritime expertise, IIM Kozhikode’s innovation hub LIVE and Neiox’s deep-tech R&D.

With the grant, Neiox will scale prototype development and performance testing, validating its material for use in large vessels. The partnership also underscores Kerala’s growing position as a coastal innovation hub, linking climate-tech, research and real-world industrial applications.

What is the “Neiox Eco Cycle” ? From Climate Action to Deep Tech

Founded by Akhil Raj Pottekkat, Neiox Eco Cycle operates at the intersection of climate action, public health innovation and sustainable industrial transformation. The startup’s core philosophy is clear:

“The world’s greatest environmental and health liabilities can be transformed into economic assets.”

Recognized by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and supported by TBI NIT Calicut and LIVE IIM Kozhikode, Neiox exemplifies the new wave of deep-tech entrepreneurship in India, one where scientific research directly fuels sustainability and social good.

By developing materials that remove pollution, improve industrial performance and protect ecosystems, Neiox represents a next-generation model for climate innovation: local in execution but global in impact.

Rethinking the Future of Maritime Sustainability

The global shipping industry contributes nearly 3% of global CO₂ emissions, equivalent to the aviation sector. It’s a sector under pressure to decarbonize, yet most sustainability efforts so far have focused on fuels, not materials.

That’s where Neiox’s coating innovation becomes transformative. Its non-toxic and carbon-negative formulation offers multiple benefits:

• Extends vessel lifespan through superior corrosion resistance.
• Prevents marine ecosystem damage caused by toxic paints.
• Converts air pollutants into durable industrial materials.
• Reduces drag, improving fuel efficiency and lowering CO₂ output.

This innovation doesn’t just make ships greener, it redefines what sustainability looks like in maritime industries, creating a bridge between climate science and ocean engineering.

Neiox’s work also reinforces a larger narrative, that Kerala’s innovation ecosystem can produce globally relevant, industrial-grade climate technology, built in India for the world.

The Broader Vision of Kerala’s Climate-Tech Momentum

Kerala’s climate-tech momentum is gaining national attention. Institutions like IIM Kozhikode and NIT Calicut, along with the Kerala Startup Mission, have built a strong foundation for deep-tech and sustainability ventures.

Cochin Shipyard’s active role through the USHUS Maritime Innovation Scheme shows how government-backed programs can catalyze green transformation at the intersection of science, business and environment.

Together, they’re defining a “Kerala Model” of sustainable industrial transformation, one that values academic collaboration, local innovation and environmental responsibility.

From Air to Ocean: Why India’s Climate-Tech Revolution Needs “Neiox” ?

Neiox Eco Cycle represents a new generation of Indian startups, rooted in deep science, driven by environmental purpose and backed by institutional collaboration.

By converting air pollutants into protective marine coatings, it is bridging the gap between climate science and industrial application, between what harms the planet and what can heal it.

Its innovation is proof that the future of technology is not only about efficiency but about empathy, innovation that restores balance between humans, industries and nature.

In that sense, as The Futurism Today continues to chronicle stories that define the future, India’s climate-tech narrative itself would be incomplete without “Neiox.”