Therefore we have been looking for very promising scientific and technological disciplines that may guarantee breaking trough and significant innovations in the reference markets.

Fashion Biotechnology

The key concept describing this topic can be summarisedas follows: From structure to properties, from properties to structure.Fashion is in fact using many materials of biological origin (leather being the most representative example), whose structure has been analyzed in detail in the past. New opportunities for clean and efficient technologies lie in the possibility of re-analysisng their structure with the most advanced microscopy technologies in order to gather and use new and updated knowledge for industrial applications that from this structure develop new material properties. In future moreover, biotechnologies will allow to define and create material structures starting from desired properties…

Programmable materials structures

Programmable Materials consist of material compositions that are designed to become highly dynamic in form and function. With a programmable material, it is possible to develop many different ways of managing the materials following specific and temporary needs; these materials have some property that allows them to respond to an energy source, temperature and/or humidity and change their initial state.

Circularity

The old linear economy “take-make-consume-dispose” is unsustainable in the long term. The only option is to move to a circular economy where once a product is finished with, it is sent back to the start of the manufacturing process to be made into something else. The circularity (into a supply chain) allows to every product to be designed, engineered and produced for multiple cycles of use, and different material or manufacturing cycles are carefully aligned, so that the output of one process feeds the input of another: in this topic are included new business models to extend the life cycle of materials and profit out of scraps

Process Simulation

large data sets may be easily analysed computationally to reveal simulations, patterns, trends, and associations: the new technologies and digitalisation are able to save time and costs adding a simulation of a process and final costs before the real fulfilment.

Human Materials interaction

The Human Materials interaction is a way to making objects come alive and give to materials the possibility to understand human body conditions and modify its structure to the needs; topics included in this research themes are the development, construction and application of new products and materials, optimization and analysis of human movement through musculoskeletal modelling, and the optimization of human-material or human-product wearables interaction.

Process Automation and Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is the concept of connecting any device to the Internet and to other connected devices. Connecting together products or process it is simple to create an “on line” automation and have all the information always available: “Industry 4.0” solutions are expected to boost industrial upgrading to realize intelligent and flexible manufacturing for mass or tailor-made customization. Cyber-physic system (CPS) and Internet of things (IoT) are essential for the future manufacturing.

Workforce of the future

One of the most important assets of the European fashion industry is represented by its workforce and the most specialised and skilled technicians are approaching retirement age in the next years: it means a huge possibility to find a concrete job opportunity in the closest future

Training and Education of the future

Digital innovation is driving big changes in the organisational learning and moreover, technological breakthroughs are combining in unexpected ways to disrupt stable industries and create new business opportunities and way: there are new trends that could fundamentally change the way to enable employees to learn