HACKTEX
Fostering the innovation growth within textile companies through smart textiles
The textiles manufacturing sector in Europe is facing several major challenges, among others competition from emerging markets, further increase in digitalization and environmental demands (concerning sectoral sustainability and targeting climate neutrality). In order to tackle the current and future needs, Europe requires reassessing its position on critical factors affecting its competitiveness like uniqueness of its products, skills of its workforce and innovation as a means of competitive advantage. Smart textiles represent a large group of advanced textiles with new or enhanced/ dynamic functions obtained using high-performance raw materials and specialized chemical and physical treatments.
The domain of smart textiles can have a wide impact on the economy of EU countries due to the wide applicability range for smart textile products: medicine, automotive and aeronautics, sports, personal protective and for building & living, etc. In order to foster the innovation growth within textile companies, higher education systems need to extend the inclusion of smart textiles knowledge in their engineering programs as a way to unlock the innovation potential advanced textile manufacturing industry has when combined with other sectors and sciences, in a transdisciplinary approach. The HACKTEX project provides HEIs with valuable methodologies and tools to use in day-to-day training future specialists in the field of advanced/smart textiles.
The HACKTEX project offers:
(1) HACTEX training methodology and syllabus
(2) Virtual training materials based on functional and smart textiles to advanced textiles’ manufacturing industry
(3) Industrial smart textiles bootcamp training
(4) Virtual guide to foster entrepreneurship and market uptake of smart textiles
(5) Project handbook of good practices & open challenges
(6) An Intensive training summer course using a blended methodology.
The project is managed in partnership with organisations from Romania, Spain, Greece, Sweden and Slovenia.
For more info: theapartment@ciape.it
