Final Report Summary - TEMP (Textile excellence in EU-MED partners) Executive summary: The TEMP project was a capacity building project, towards the strengthening of the technical and scientific competence within the Euro-Mediterranean (EUROMED) region in the field of textile technology related topics. The project main goal is to enhance the science and technology (S&T) cooperation in the textile and clothing (T&C) field between Portugal, Italy and Tunisia by reinforcing strategic partnerships in this 3 research entities and 3 innovation promotion associations, namely: - CITEVE: Technological Centre for the T&C Industry of Portugal (coordinator), - Centre Tecnique du Textile (CETTEX), - Treviso Tecnologia (TVTEC), - Next Technology Tecnotessile Societa Nazionale di Ricerca r.l. (NEXT TECNOTESSILE), - The Portuguese Textile Association (ATP) and the Tunisian Innovation and Industry Promotional Agency (APII). The project developed an ambitious programme of actions and activities, such as: (a) the exchange and mobilisation of human resources between partnering organisations; (b) the knowledge transfer in the field of environmental and energy management; (c) the product and material laboratorial management; (d) intellectual and property right (IPR) and innovation management and product development. This knowledge transfer and technical assistance programme was based in the set-up of a very ambitious mobility programme ensuring the exchange of researchers and technical staff between European organisations and the Tunisian centre, which is the target of this capacity building project. Another relevant activity of the TEMP project was the definition of specific S&T priorities in partners regions, creating a research agenda and an innovation Roadmap specifically designed for the T&C sector within the EUROMED region. With this EUROMED innovation roadmap on textiles and clothing, the partners of the TEMP project would like to contribute to the definition of scientific and technical priorities within the partners' regions, in an integrated way, towards a more effective and positive cooperation. By highlighting research and innovation (R&I) priorities and relevant cooperation topics for the period of 2010 - 2020, in total coherence with the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) defined in other relevant European documents such as the SRA of the Technological Platform For The Future of Textiles and Clothing, the TEMP project partners believe that a more effective impact and better resource management, can be achieved regarding the particular situation and challenges of the regions involved in the TEMP project. To ensure an effective dissemination and communication of project results, besides setting up a very strong program of dissemination activities which included more than 15 events (workshops, seminars and conferences) the TEMP project is highly visible on line, through two different platforms: An institutional project website (see http://www.temp-eumed.eu/ online) and a cooperation facilitator website (see http://www.eumed-gateway.eu/ online for further details).The EUROMED gateway cooperation platform is a centralised hot spot where you can find all relevant information regarding scientific and technological cooperation within the EUROMED area. The expected impact of these activities will be the following: (a) a better integration of European Union (EU) and Mediterranean (MED) countries; (b) the improvement of S&T capacities in the Mediterranean Partner Country (MPC) and convergence region helping the reinforcement of the regional economic and social development; (c) the creation of fruitful and stronger links between partner's organisation and further research and technological development (RTD) organisations in the partnering countries. The set-up of a shared services portfolio between partners is also expected to contribute to the economic impact of the project. Project context and objectives: The TEMP project was a capacity building project towards the strengthening of the technical and scientific competence within the EUROMED region in the field of textile related topics. The project main goal is to enhance the S&T cooperation in the T&C field between Portugal, Italy and Tunisia by reinforcing strategic partnerships in this 3 research entities and 3 innovation promotion associations, namely: - CITEVE: Technological Centre for the T&C Industry of Portugal (coordinator), - Centre Tecnique du Textile (CETTEX), - Treviso Tecnologia (TVTEC), - Next Technology Tecnotessile Societa Nazionale di Ricerca r.l. (NEXT TECNOTESSILE), - The Portuguese Textile Association (ATP) and the Tunisian Innovation and Industry Promotional Agency (APII). The TEMP project focuses on improving a tighter relationship between Italy, Portugal and Tunisia, in the field of T&C technology, promoting closer cooperation between complementary organisations, namely in the following topics: (a) development of scientific and human potential; (b) exchange of know-how and best practices; (c) increase of scientific and technical research capacities. This has been achieved through combined actions and activities, such as: (1) creating a contact platform with other scientific fields of knowledge or even other industrial sectors (shoe manufacturing, machinery manufacturing) of mutual interest, aiming to improve contacts in all the fashion industry within the partner's countries; (2) exchanging and mobilising of human and material resources between partner's organisations; (3) the knowledge transfer in the field of water management; (4) environmental and energy management; scientific laboratorial analysis and tests; (5) IPR and innovation management and other scientific and technical expertise areas; (6) disseminating scientific information and knowledge as well as the results of S&T research; (7) implementing RTD past project results and best practices in the T&C industry of the MED country and convergence region; (8) providing technical assistance and training to enhance knowledge transfer; (9) defining specific scientific and technical priorities in the partners regions, creating a research agenda for the period 2010 - 2015. All this activities were combined in a coherent structure based in 7 work packages (WPs): Work platform definition (WP1) - Human resources mobility (WP2) - Technology and knowledge transfer activities (WP3) - Technical assistance activities (WP4) - Definition of specific S&T priorities (WP5) - Dissemination activities and establishment of the 'Contact Platform' (WP6) - Management and coordination. WP1 was mostly about the set-up of a common understanding and vision about the project framework and objectives in order to facilitate all the upcoming tasks and work. Most of this activity was related to the proposal review and to the set-up of working groups for each specific technological field addressed by the project, in order for those groups to prepare and develop part of work foreseen in other tasks and to share among them specific technological information. WPs 2, 3 and 4 were developed in very integrated and complementary way in order to maximise task's results and impact. Besides CTTEX investment in new research and testing equipment mostly within the scope of WP4, the main objective of these WPs was the set-up of the mobility program which was the core activity of the project since in order to strength and amplify the competence and capacity building process at CETTEX. This means staff from CETTEX (trainees) having training and coached technical assistance sessions in the European project partners' facilities and experts from those European centres conducting coaching and training / knowledge transfer sessions at CETTEX premises. As mentioned before, the mobility program is also instrumental for WP3 and WP4 objectives, since most of the knowledge and technology transfer and technical assistance foreseen within those WPs was achieved through the mobility of human resources between partner institutes. The mobility program comprised an integrated training, coaching and technical assistance programme, involving different groups of engineers, technicians and researchers from CETTEX, organised in 6 different actions and addressing 6 different topics which were set up and provided by different project partners: (1) environment and energy (CITEVE); (2) product and process technologies (NEXT TECNOTESSILE); (3) product design and fashion (TVTEC); (4) laboratorial analysis methods and management (CITEVE); (5) IPR and innovation management (CITEVE and TVTEC); (6) quality and organisational management (CITEVE and NEXT TECNOTESSILE). According to CETTEX needs and interests, the duration and work load of each action of the mobility program was specifically adapted into two categories: - 4 long mobility actions (96 hours each), which was applied to topics 1 - 4. The long mobility actions comprised an integrated program of staff mobility, knowledge transfer and coached technical assistance within those topics according to the methodology bellow and involving the mobility of both CETTEX staff to European partners premises and European partners Staff to CETTEX premises. - 2 short mobility actions (16 hours each) which was applied to topics 5 and 6, involving only the mobility of European partners' staff to CETTEX. (1) short mobility actions; (2) long mobility actions. One important action within WP4 was the investment in research and testing equipment / technology at CETTEX. The technology implemented by CETTEX allowed the centre to achieve new research and testing capacity within the field of textile materials, allowing it to better serve the local T&C community. This technology implementation process, was supported and therefore strengthen by the Mobility Programme Action No 4 ('Laboratorial analysis methods and management') which was set up in order to specifically match the analytical and methodological testing requirements of the new technologies / equipment installed within the project activities at CETTEX. The equipment bought and installed within WP4 was: - 1 orbital shaker, 1 boiling bath with shaker, 1 equipment for measurement of water permeability; - 1 equipment to perform the snagging test; - several glass material; - hardware and software to evaluate fabrics dimensional stability according to ISO 6330:2012; equipment for sampling and equipment for control of testing devices. Also within the scope of WP4, despite not foreseen initially, but discussed and accepted with the project officer, CETTEX has benefit from the partners' technical assistance and knowledge in order to renew and upgrade its institutional website. This upgrade was essential in order for better communicate to the scientific and business community the new competences and capacities resulting from the TEMP project capacity building activities. WP5 aimed at the definition of specific S&T priorities for the development of the T&C sector within the EROMED region, identifying topics of common interest for the different partner countries, highlighting R&I priorities and relevant cooperation topics for the period of 2010 - 2020, in total coherence with the SRA defined by the European Technological Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing. Most of the work performed was based in data collection from existing relevant publications / statistical data, from interviews and meetings with relevant stakeholders in each partner country and also from background knowledge and information available in each partners' organisation. One important deliverable of the project was the definition of a EUROMED research and development (R&D) and innovation roadmap for the T&C sector. This strategic document was published in English and French language and includes relevant information like a detailed characterisation of the Italian, Portuguese and Tunisian T&C industry, an overview of existent documents and initiatives regarding local and national roadmapping activities, a vision for an EUROMED region of T&C excellence in R&D and R&I and concludes with the TEMP project proposal for an R&D and innovation roadmap towards 2020. With this deliverable the partners of the TEMP project would like to contribute to the definition of scientific and technical priorities within the partners' regions, in an integrated way, towards a more effective and positive cooperation. The expected impact of these activities will be the following: (a) a better integration of EU and MED countries; (b) an improvement in scientific and technical capacities in the MPC and convergence region thus helping the reinforcement of the regional economic and social development; (c) the establishment of strong and effective links between the partner's organisation and other RTD organisations in the partner's countries. WP6 included the project dissemination activities, mostly achieved by the organisation and / or attendance in relevant local and international events addressing the target audience (T&C community), through the publication of communication tools (brochures, posters, banners and leaflets) as well as by using two different electronic communication channels: An institutional project website (see http://www.temp-eumed.eu/ online) and a cooperation facilitator website (see http://www.eumed-gateway.eu/ online).The EU-MED gateway cooperation platform, another project deliverable, is a centralised hot spot where you can find all relevant information regarding scientific and technological cooperation within the EU-MED area regarding T&C business. The TEMP project was promoted and visible in more than 15 events across the EUROMED region. Still on the dissemination level, concerning synergies with other ongoing platforms and projects, a relevant aspect was the interaction with other 3 ongoing projects within the so called Waste Cluster Initiative (WCI), that brought together different projects with common interest in water and waste management, contributing therefore to less overlapping and better integration between activities and strategies under development in ongoing funded European projects. Also important was the poster exhibition at the Annual Conference of the European Textile Technology Platform. WP7 exclusively addressed management activities in order to ensure good project development and good communication among partners. In order to facilitate the communication between partners and document / data management, an internal project management web based tool (TEMP WORKSPACE) was adopted and used for project management. All project files, agendas, minutes, documents, publications, contacts and images were stored within this platform, which was available via project website, making therefore very easy to share relevant information between partners. The consortium met for 7 times, at least one time in each partner country and all project partners' have always attend the meetings. Project results: The fact of the TEMP project of being a coordination action project following a capacity building approach gives to the exploitation of results a different dimension and perspective. In this sense, there are no research results to exploit and no patents or designs to license as scientific or technological results. Potential impact: Project potential impacts The T&C industry has the necessary potential to set a model and example of re-enforced cooperation between the countries of the MED area, that is not limited by geography but also to a number of other countries that for historical or cultural reasons or even economic circumstances constitute a large MED region. This region is fundamental to maintain peace, security and economic prosperity to hundreds of thousands of individuals, and assume itself as a geo-political and geo-economic core, that is capable to compete with other controls of power and business in the world today. Without using the usual rhetoric and bureaucracy that are usually imposed to deal with such issues and which most of the times stay as good intentions and keep inertia, it is certain that one can structure a vision for the EUROMED T&C. Based on one hand by a common rich and diversified past which modelled nations and the world, with the aim of cooperation by innovation, either by R&D or less technological. No less important is creativeness, where design fashion and more efficient design processes are the best examples. In effect, this cooperative vision for the EUROMED region that TEMP tried to systematise and even accomplish for the T&C aims at the implementation of a set of objectives that structure and interact. So, more than presenting itself as a goal of commercial policies of the EU, to make the southern countries of the MED the first option for the supply of T&C it is necessary to share know-how and resources. The balance between cost and quality, geographic and cultural proximity conditions positively service and liability. But when you look for suppliers in further away geographies, this cannot be attained, as recent history has shown. By creating a cooperative option in the EUROMED region, one is acting intensely for the growth of trade at all levels of the value chain and is promoting producers and traders but also the consumer that this way can access to products and services of higher added value. Price is still an important issue for the consumer but special emphasis is given to the satisfaction of needs on a sophisticated value point of view. This is easier acknowledged in the southern European countries and by their retail models, which have conquered large shares of consumption all over the world. To work in cooperation, to transfer knowledge and experience from both parts also determines product / service added value in the EUROMED region. This way, new arguments are gathered against world competition, for low price, mass production and non-differentiation are confined to certain consumption segments, which eventually are not interesting to the MED T&C chain. Therefore is expected that Tunisian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) directly and indirectly benefiting from the capacity building approach promoted by the project on a technology transfer and research organisation like CETTEX, will be better prepared to enhance a stronger cooperation with European companies, towards the exploitation of new markets. Besides one must look upon cooperation not as a one way flux, or with rigidly defined fluxes, for which Europe relocated production or orders to south, being a consumption market looking for products of relatively low price products, without any other ambition but to develop classic production activities, without sophistication and no evolving in the value chain. Control and profit for this type of production lay in the hands of those who relocated production and little to the land where it was relocated. One of the interesting outputs of the TEMP project was the agreement to provide in the future a joint service offer between CETTEX and the different European R&D centres participating in the project. Is expected, for this strategy to have a long last effect in the project dynamic, by creating a clear understanding towards the extension of the cooperation but in this case addressing specific company needs which can be better solved by an integrated service portfolio. In fact, also as a relevant impact, a core group of the TEMP project partners already submitted a proposal to the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) international cooperation (INCO) programme under the acronym FASHIOMED, coordinated by TVTEC and aiming to empower the TEMP experience to other MPC partners. Fortunately today many of the MED-region countries are already collecting the fruits of their investments, by originating emerging appealing consumer markets with segments of society of resources, education, cosmopolitanism and sophistication in taste. It is fair to believe that the TEMP project experience and outputs will also have a positive impact in this process, since it has demonstrated the importance of staff mobility between organisations in the consolidation of knowledge transfer and cooperation processes. Finally, the EUROMED region shares concern for sustainability, whether it is environmental, social and even economic. Not diminishing historical differences and the evolution experienced by the different countries, giving special but asymmetrical attention to these issues, they all share the desire for a more balanced space, capable of satisfying their population needs and that, legitimately want the best for themselves and mostly their future generations. Once more by addressing topics like environmental management or energy management, the TEMP project will certainly have an impact in the leverage of the MPC companies towards European standards and practices regarding sustainable production. As an example, the joint service portfolio offered by CETTEX and CITEVE in the field of environmental and energy audits, as an output from the TEMP project, will contribute for local companies to better deal with such relevant competitive factors. The cooperation set up by the TEMP project between organisations supporting industrial SMEs and the 'facilitator' tools such as the gateway website; will certainly impact in the relations between European and MPC companies in the future. The last dissemination event in which the TEMP project consortium participated was the CAT 2012 - Business and Technology Convention, in Tunisia. At this event the project partners, besides sharing the project booth at the exhibition area, presented their joint offer portfolio within the brokerage event. This approach can be considered as a relevant positive impact of the project, in what concerns the level of cooperation and common trust between organisations towards new upcoming challenges. More relation, more business, more scientific interchange, more common work made with projects like TEMP are an unequivocal certainty that the construction of the EUROMED region is more than a political utopia but rather an irreversible process of development for the building of a better common future for everyone involved. Main dissemination activities: Project dissemination activities, mostly achieved by the organisation and / or attendance in relevant local and international events addressing the target audience (T&C community), through the publication of communication tools (brochures, posters, banners and leaflets) as well as by using two different electronic communication channels: An institutional project website (see http://www.temp-eumed.eu/ online) and a cooperation facilitator website (http://www.eumed-gateway.eu/). Also relevant within communication and dissemination activities were contacts, networking and synergies developed with other ongoing initiatives. This was particularly the objective of task 6.3 within WP6, namely to establish synergies with other ongoing platforms and projects. The TEMP project strengthened links with some international initiatives related to T&C, R&D and SMEs investment and opportunities: - ANIMA Investment Network (see http://www.animaweb.org/en/index.php online for further details), - INVEST IN MED (see http://www.invest-in-med.eu/ online for further details), - EMDC - PROMOS Milano (see EURO-MED Development Center for MSMEs online for further details), - INSME (International Network for SMEs, see http://www.insme.org/ online for further details), - Pôle de compétitvité Monastir-El Fejja (which coordinates a directory of Technical Textiles Tunisian companies, see http://www.mfcpole.com.tn online for further details), - Textile 2020, Advanced Technical Textile cluster (see http://textile2020.eu/ online for further details), - Industrial Council for Technology and Innovation (Egypt), - UpTex - Competitiveness Cluster (see http://www.up-tex.fr online for further details), - Programme d'appui à la Competitivité des enterprises et à la facilitation del l'Accès au Marchè (PCAM)?(see www.pcam.gov.tn online for further details), - 'Network in solid waste and water treatment between Europe and Mediterranean countries' (SOWAEUMED) project (http://grupsderecerca.uab.cat/sowaeumed) - 'Sustainable innovations and treatment in industrial waste water clusters' (STINNO) (see http://www.kalmar.regionforbund.se/stinno/ online for further details), - 'Waste management focusing on: knowledge and integration to create transnational economic development' (WASTEKIT) project (see http://www.wastekit.eu/ online for further details). Within the official project website http://www.temp-eumed.eu namely in the 'news' area and within the EUMED gateway website (http://www.eumed-gateway.eu/) is possible to find more information and pictures and about the dissemination activities of the project. Exploitation of results The fact of the TEMP project of being a coordination action project following a capacity building approach gives to the exploitation of results a different dimension and perspective. In this sense, there are no research results to exploit and no patents or designs to license, but there are project results which can be further exploited in the future in order to extend the project effect creating conditions to positively 'contaminate' other stakeholders. In fact, one of the main results of the project which corresponds to one of its main proposed objectives is the cooperation linkage, the confidence and trust level which the project has been able to build among all the participating organisations, which certainly has a positive demonstration effect on different stakeholders. This will certainly be exploited in the upcoming future by all the partners in order to develop new partnerships and new joint initiatives which should be of common interest, and not only for each organisation and also for the stakeholders which are directly or indirectly related to the different project partners. Regarding specific concrete results of the projects, the following table shows the exploitation potential and strategy to be followed in each case. Project result / outputs (1) Improved CETTEX technological capacity in the field of textiles material R&D and testing: (a) improved R&D and testing portfolio offered to Tunisian companies and other relevant local stakeholders; (b) develop new services and projects addressing the Tunisian T&C companies. (2) Improved CETTEX technological capacity in the field of environmental and energy management, product design, IPR and innovation management: (a) improved service portfolio offered to Tunisian companies and other relevant local stakeholders; (b) develop new services and projects addressing the Tunisian T&C companies. EUROMED innovation roadmap on textiles and clothing: This strategic publication will be used by all partners in policy advising work, with local and national public organisations and relevant stakeholders, having responsibilities in the R&D and innovation public policy design. As well as a supporting guideline within new R&D projects consortia building within the EUROMED area. EUMED gateway website: The EUMED gateway website is one of the powerful results of the project which has a strong exploitation potential. The EUMED gateway website will be exploited by TREVISO TECNOLOGIA (TVTEC) which will maintain the website hosting and all the website management work. All partners will also contribute with providing TVTEC with relevant information and inputs to feed the website. Joint service portfolio: CETTEX will use the joint service portfolio developed with each of the project partners, in order to market this integrated offer in the different fields of knowledge to potential clients. With this strategy CETTEX will enlarge its competence portfolio by combining its own competences with the ones available at CITEVE, TVTEC or NEXT TECNOTESSILE depending on the technical field. Mobility programme methodology: The methodology of the mobility programme will be exploited by all European partners in further exchange programmes which might be developed with other MED partners. List of websites: Official project website: http://www.temp-eumed.eu/ EUMED gateway website: http://www.eumed-gateway.eu Documenti correlati Final Report - TEMP (Textile excellence in EU-MED partners)
