#Smart Textiles
SMARTX Europe launches final call for funding
European Smart Textiles Accelerator aims to fund up to 40 smart textile innovators by 2022
It follows the successful second call, which opened in June 2020 was met with a high level ofinterest and enthusiasm from the textile and technology industries, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The call resulted in 29 completed applications, 19 of which were submittedby consortia. In total, 56 SMEs from 16 different EU and H2020-associated countries applied. Most proposals addressed wellness markets, while the rest focused on health and protection.
This 3-year programme will support up to 40 smart textile projects with a remarkable total budget of €2.4 million (€60,000 per project) and one-year of free coaching to help start-ups and small-to-midsize enterprises (SMEs) monitor the development of their innovation and get the contacts they need. SmartX has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under grant agreement No. 824825.
“After selecting 20 projects worth over € 1.5 million during our first two SmartX calls, we are now looking for our third and final cohort of trailblazer projects ready to conquer attractive market niches in the protection, sports, health and industrial end markets with disruptive smart textile solutions.” says Lutz Walter, Secretary General of Textile ETP, The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing, one of SmartX partners and the programme coordinator.
The acceleration platform is driven by a consortium of 13 European partners from the textile and technology industries. Together, they intend to boost smart textiles innovation to develop an end-to-end smart textiles manufacturing value chain in Europe and help drive promising prototypes faster to market. The underlying long-term objective of the programme is to build a professional and sustainable community, bringing together previously dispersed SMEs and fostering greater interaction and collaboration within the European smart textile industry.
In order to further the effort, SmartX has developed an online collaboration platform for European smart textiles businesses and experts, with efficient tools to identify and contact partners and create a true community with top specialists. The SmartX Online Community currently has over 500 members. In addition, SmartX has launched a series of member-only webinars to share state-of-the art knowledge about the key issues challenging the competitiveness of the European smart textile industries.
