Periodic Report Summary 1 - SUSTA-SMART (Supporting Standardisation for Smart Textiles)
Project Context and Objectives:
GOAL
A variety of smart textile products with a high market potential in the area of smart PPE, construction materials and consumer goods have been developed with European funding. As all these products have to comply with legal regulations, standardisation issues are crucial for exploitation and commercialization. This fact has been and is not always taken into account during the product development in the EU projects, usually due to lack of knowledge in the consortium on standardisation issues. Here the SUSTA-SMART project aimed at developing solutions for reinforcing the link between research and standardisation in order to boost the market uptake of smart textiles.
FOCUS DOMAINS
Given the wide range of potential applications for smart textiles, the efforts were restricted to the integration of electronics and focussing on three domains:
1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
2. construction and infrastructure
3. consumer goods
FOCUS PROJECTS
The aim of SUSTA-SMART was tot support standardisation needs encountered in R&D and innovation projects involving Smart Textiles. Starting from representative EU FP7 NMP projects
1. SAFE@SEA - advanced personal protective clothing
2. POLYTECT - smart textiles for reinforcing and monitoring infrastructure
3. DEPHOTEX - flexible photovoltaic textile
SUSTA-SMART aimed at demonstrating the standardisation needs encountered during research and development.
APPROACH
SUSTA-SMART aimed at increasing the interaction between research and standardisation by a systematic three step approach:
1. Identify the relevant standardisation actors and map issues which emerged from European research projects.
2. Synthesize and prioritise needs to draw up a standardisation roadmap.
3. Delivery of standardisation input documents and presenting them to relevant standardisation committees.
IMPACT
Backed by external key players such as companies and standardisation actors SUSTA-SMART gathered sufficient critical mass to reach its ambitious goals at European and international level.
Project Results:
Several European FP6/FP7 smart textiles projects resulted in a variety of high market potential developments. Representative NMP projects are SAFE@SEA–advanced personal protective clothing; POLYTECT–smart textile materials for reinforcing and monitoring infrastructure and DEPHOTEX–flexible photovoltaic textiles. Standardisation is considered a key issue for further exploitation and commercialisation of smart textiles, especially for PPE and Construction Products as it supports legal provision in those areas.
SUSTA-SMART started from the standardisation needs encountered in these projects, which had each at least one SUSTA-SMART partner involved, as well as those from a carefully selected group of other FP6/FP7 projects. Given the wide range of potential applications, the efforts were restricted to three focus domains: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Construction Products and Consumer Goods.
SUSTA-SMART followed a systematic three step approach to forward standardisation:
- Mapping both the relevant standardisation actors and the standardisation issues of the FP6/FP7 projects. For the latter, a standardisation strategy audit procedure was worked out.
- Synthesising and prioritising of the needs, based on a broad consensus, leading to a standardisation roadmap.
- Compilation of dedicated standardisation input documents (including New Work Item Proposals) and presenting them to relevant standardisation committees. Here there was a strong cooperation with CEN TC 248 WG31 – Smart textiles, the convenor of which is also the coordinator of SUSTA-SMART and CEN-CLC BT WG 8 – Protective textiles and personal protective clothing and equipment, the Chair and Secretary of this WG both also being SUSTA-SMART partners.
Additionally guidance documents were developed during the SUSTA-SMART project. The first guidance document is written for writers of research projects on how to integrate standardisation issues in their work plan. The second document is a draft guidance document for certification and conformity assessment (with EU legislation) of complex products. This type of document was found to be important and necessary for Smart Textile products in the PPE and Construction Products field.
Potential Impact:
In the course of the project, the work of the SUSTA-SMART project, in particular the interaction with relevant standardisation committees has already had an impact on their working. Here two examples in particular have to be named.
1) CEN/TC 248 WG 31 Smart Textiles
With K. Eufinger from Centexbel being both the Coordinator of SUSTA-SMART and the Convenor (Chair) of this WG there has been a strong interaction between the project and the WG. There has been feedback on the projects of the working group to the project and regular updates from the project to the WG. SUSTA-SMART partner imec is also actively participating the development of one of the current standards on conductive textile tracks ((WI=00248533 Textiles and textile products - Electrically conductive textiles - Determination of the electrical resistance of textile-based tracks)
2) CEN-CLC BT WG 8 P Protective textiles and personal protective clothing and equipment
This working group was established November 2012 under CEN and CENELEC BT to prepare the answer to the programming Mandate M/509 EN Protective textiles and personal protective clothing and equipment. The report was submitted to the European Commission in February 2014. SUSTA-SMART partners H. Vanhoutte, ESF is and K. Eufinger, Centexbel are respectively Chair and Secretary of this WG. Additionally SUSTA-SMART partners EURATEX and FESI were following up this WG. As a result there was a strong interaction between the SUSTA-SMART project and this WG with regular feedback on the progress and final results of the working group to the project and vice versa.
The European Commission has already responded to this report and during a public inquiry for a mandate planned for 2015 also input from the SUSTA-SMART project could be given, which have the potential to be included in the mandate.
Since there is a strong involvement of SUSTA-SMART partners in other standardisation bodies, the impact of the project is being realised here, too.
List of Websites:
www.susta-smart.eu
GOAL
A variety of smart textile products with a high market potential in the area of smart PPE, construction materials and consumer goods have been developed with European funding. As all these products have to comply with legal regulations, standardisation issues are crucial for exploitation and commercialization. This fact has been and is not always taken into account during the product development in the EU projects, usually due to lack of knowledge in the consortium on standardisation issues. Here the SUSTA-SMART project aimed at developing solutions for reinforcing the link between research and standardisation in order to boost the market uptake of smart textiles.
FOCUS DOMAINS
Given the wide range of potential applications for smart textiles, the efforts were restricted to the integration of electronics and focussing on three domains:
1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
2. construction and infrastructure
3. consumer goods
FOCUS PROJECTS
The aim of SUSTA-SMART was tot support standardisation needs encountered in R&D and innovation projects involving Smart Textiles. Starting from representative EU FP7 NMP projects
1. SAFE@SEA - advanced personal protective clothing
2. POLYTECT - smart textiles for reinforcing and monitoring infrastructure
3. DEPHOTEX - flexible photovoltaic textile
SUSTA-SMART aimed at demonstrating the standardisation needs encountered during research and development.
APPROACH
SUSTA-SMART aimed at increasing the interaction between research and standardisation by a systematic three step approach:
1. Identify the relevant standardisation actors and map issues which emerged from European research projects.
2. Synthesize and prioritise needs to draw up a standardisation roadmap.
3. Delivery of standardisation input documents and presenting them to relevant standardisation committees.
IMPACT
Backed by external key players such as companies and standardisation actors SUSTA-SMART gathered sufficient critical mass to reach its ambitious goals at European and international level.
Project Results:
Several European FP6/FP7 smart textiles projects resulted in a variety of high market potential developments. Representative NMP projects are SAFE@SEA–advanced personal protective clothing; POLYTECT–smart textile materials for reinforcing and monitoring infrastructure and DEPHOTEX–flexible photovoltaic textiles. Standardisation is considered a key issue for further exploitation and commercialisation of smart textiles, especially for PPE and Construction Products as it supports legal provision in those areas.
SUSTA-SMART started from the standardisation needs encountered in these projects, which had each at least one SUSTA-SMART partner involved, as well as those from a carefully selected group of other FP6/FP7 projects. Given the wide range of potential applications, the efforts were restricted to three focus domains: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Construction Products and Consumer Goods.
SUSTA-SMART followed a systematic three step approach to forward standardisation:
- Mapping both the relevant standardisation actors and the standardisation issues of the FP6/FP7 projects. For the latter, a standardisation strategy audit procedure was worked out.
- Synthesising and prioritising of the needs, based on a broad consensus, leading to a standardisation roadmap.
- Compilation of dedicated standardisation input documents (including New Work Item Proposals) and presenting them to relevant standardisation committees. Here there was a strong cooperation with CEN TC 248 WG31 – Smart textiles, the convenor of which is also the coordinator of SUSTA-SMART and CEN-CLC BT WG 8 – Protective textiles and personal protective clothing and equipment, the Chair and Secretary of this WG both also being SUSTA-SMART partners.
Additionally guidance documents were developed during the SUSTA-SMART project. The first guidance document is written for writers of research projects on how to integrate standardisation issues in their work plan. The second document is a draft guidance document for certification and conformity assessment (with EU legislation) of complex products. This type of document was found to be important and necessary for Smart Textile products in the PPE and Construction Products field.
Potential Impact:
In the course of the project, the work of the SUSTA-SMART project, in particular the interaction with relevant standardisation committees has already had an impact on their working. Here two examples in particular have to be named.
1) CEN/TC 248 WG 31 Smart Textiles
With K. Eufinger from Centexbel being both the Coordinator of SUSTA-SMART and the Convenor (Chair) of this WG there has been a strong interaction between the project and the WG. There has been feedback on the projects of the working group to the project and regular updates from the project to the WG. SUSTA-SMART partner imec is also actively participating the development of one of the current standards on conductive textile tracks ((WI=00248533 Textiles and textile products - Electrically conductive textiles - Determination of the electrical resistance of textile-based tracks)
2) CEN-CLC BT WG 8 P Protective textiles and personal protective clothing and equipment
This working group was established November 2012 under CEN and CENELEC BT to prepare the answer to the programming Mandate M/509 EN Protective textiles and personal protective clothing and equipment. The report was submitted to the European Commission in February 2014. SUSTA-SMART partners H. Vanhoutte, ESF is and K. Eufinger, Centexbel are respectively Chair and Secretary of this WG. Additionally SUSTA-SMART partners EURATEX and FESI were following up this WG. As a result there was a strong interaction between the SUSTA-SMART project and this WG with regular feedback on the progress and final results of the working group to the project and vice versa.
The European Commission has already responded to this report and during a public inquiry for a mandate planned for 2015 also input from the SUSTA-SMART project could be given, which have the potential to be included in the mandate.
Since there is a strong involvement of SUSTA-SMART partners in other standardisation bodies, the impact of the project is being realised here, too.
List of Websites:
www.susta-smart.eu