Textile Innovation & Competence Centre

Managing Director: Håkan Torstensson
Assistant Managing Director: Agneta Nordlund Andersson

Textiles as concept, material and industry

All over the world people come into daily contact with textiles primarily in clothing and textiles for furnishings. In recent years textiles have also become increasingly important in technical applications in fields such as construction, automotive industry, soil protection, plant protection, filters and medical applications. However, there is more to textiles than mere functionality. Through one's way of dressing and choice of furnishings, textiles and fashion is one of the strongest means available for expressing feelings, personality and social and cultural identity. In other words the textile field displays great width when it comes to form and functionality.

The textile industry also carries great economical importance as it is one of the largest industries globally. In 2003 the EU textile and fashion industry employed 2,5 million and generated a turnover of €187 million, making it one of the largest industries in Europe. The far-reaching structural transformation the textile industry is presently undergoing, partly as a consequence of expansion of the EU and abolishment of the production quota system for textiles and ready-made clothing products, has resulted in increased interest in the textile field at the EU level. In an effort to strengthen the competitiveness of the textile industry the European Commission has appointed a High Level Group. This group recommends large-scale investments in textile education and textile research and also proposes that textiles becomes a priority field within the Seventh Framework Programme. The group also points out the potential gains of increased cooperation between the textile industry, universities and research institutions.

Compared to other European countries, Sweden possesses a competitive advantage in the structural transformation that began in the 1960's as a consequence of the gradual abolishment of customs duties on domestic production and trade. Over the last few decades the Swedish textile and fashion industry has developed from a traditional manufacturing industry into a complex and knowledge-intense business focussed on design, logstics, advanced product and process development and trade and marketing. This far-reaching structural transformation has been successful in several respects and many Swedish companies have become prominent members of the global market. This development has led to the textile industry playing an important role in present-day Swedish national economy. In 2003 the turnover generated by trade and consumption in the textile and fashion sector amounted to SEK 60 billion (€6 billion). Over a number of years, the export of textile products has increased and in 2003 amounted to SEK 15 billion (€1,5 billion).

The export success of the Swedish textile and fashion industry is to be attributed to a strong tradition of textile industry and trade. In addition to the fact that many recognize the importance and potential of the Swedish textile industry, the industry's geographical concentration has given the textile and fashion industry a strong position in the region of Västra Götaland and especially in the Borås area.

The Swedish School of Textiles, the University College of Borås
– national center of Textiles and Design

The University College of Borås (UCB) is nationally leading in the textile {research} field and plays an important part in the development of the textile industry, e.g. by supplying the vocational field with skilled manpower and knowledge development. Using this unique position as a starting point the UCB strives to become one of Europe's leading seats of learning in textile education and research. To attain this goal a great deal of investments has gone into education and research in the textile field in addition to aquiring a unique set of machinery.

Historically, the textile center of the UCB has been the Swedish School of Textiles. As the character of the textile field is in itself interdisciplinary, research at the UCB is naturally carried out across the boundaries of related subjects and disciplines. As a result, close cooperation has been established with other research teams at the UCB, e.g. the School of Engineering and the School of Business and Informatics, in fields such as polymeric materials, logistics, signal processing, management, trade and marketing. All in all, 20 professors and senior researchers at the UCB operate in the textile field at the UCB, as well as 50 teachers, postgraduate students and technicians.

An industry in rapid development generate increasingly higher demands for competence in integrating a scientific approach with advanced application competence. To meet these demands, the UCB has developed higher textile education to prepare students for qualified vocational exercise in different textile professions. The education programmes cover the competence demands of the textile industry all the way from shorter programmes mainly focussed on professional and handicraft skills to longer and strongly profiled programmes.
What the above says is that the textile field at the UCB is characterized by a great number of competences and an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach. In reality this means that theoretical and subject specific knowledge is combined with a strong tradition of handicraft, artistic development and extensive experience in the trade.

Textiles and design at the Vocational University
Basic education

In the years to come, development of the basic textile education will focus on vocationally directed and profiled Master's {Degree} Programmes. Through further development of firmly established and internationally recruiting Master's {Degree} Programmes the Vocational University of Borås will gain a position as an important international actor in textile education. The international perspective is central in preparing the students for an increasingly globalized labour-market. This development will be founded in the collective competence in the textile field of the entire UCB.

Within the framework of the Vocational University the vocational orientation and multidisciplinary foundation that characterize today's education will be additionally reinforced. Further development will take place by e.g. strengthening the {educational} programmes' vocational items and initiating projects and courses that bring together students from different programmes. The latter will lead the individual student to a deeper understanding for the specific competences of other student categories, an insight that is imperative in a future career since cooperation between different professions is characteristic of the textile industry. Thus, focus will be on pedagogical development and creation of an educational environment that emphasizes proficiencies, competences and characteristics that are central to the students' coming professional and social life. Prominent features of the education will be e.g. introductory textile courses, projects executed entirely by students and national and international development projects in cooperation with business and trade organisations. Our ambition is that each student will receive a thorough introduction to the profession the programme is aimed at.

TIC – a center for competence in the textile field

Within the framework of the Vocational University the Swedish School of Textiles together with a number of actors {in the textile field} have created a center for competence in the textile field. The purpose of the competence center is to support the development of the textile field through research, competence development and product and business development.

The {competence} center is to constitute an arena for cooperation that in a structured and equal way creates the opportunities for a continuous exchange of knowledge and competence between the Vocational University and the participants. Behind the establishment of the center are the business community, research institutes and the Vocational University. The center will be headed by a board of representatives from the textile field.

The textile industry has come through a far-reaching structural transformation that among other things resulted in a large portion of the manufacture of clothing and textiles being moved to so-called low-wage countries, a tendency that has affected almost every branch of Western manufacturing industry. As textile production is moved out of the country, competence connected to knowledge-intense parts of the production line is in danger of being lost. In the light of structural transformation and in order to strengthen the competitiveness and to maintain knowledge-intense activities in Sweden, a central task for the cooperation center will be to support e.g. product development, design, trademark development, marketing, business development, logistics and entrepreneurship.

A competence center makes possible different forms of cooperation with the business community and other external actors, e.g. by sharing advanced equipment and through joint research and development ventures. An already existing example of this kind of cooperation is a development laboratory containing special equipment for the dyeing, preparation and covering of textiles, built by the UCB using financial means donated by the trade organization Tekoindustrierna. The equipment is used not only for education and research at the UCB but also for product development and testing by branch organizations. The intent behind the laboratory is to coordinate valuable resources that independent actors on their own cannot afford or do not possess the competence to run. Beside intensified contacts between academy and business community sharing the laboratory has provided the business community with ”neutral ground”{, a place to meet other members of the trade and exchange ideas}. Common issues may be identified and problemized together with scientists and students of the UCB.

Arenas for cooperation as the one outlined above may pose as a model for other branches where outsourcing and a diminishing national industrial basis has become reality.

Vocationally oriented research in the textile field

Research is a key factor in the further development and strengthening of the Swedish textile industry in the intensifying competition for the international market. In the textile field, the UCB has developed a research and development environment that in many respects already has come close to the Vocational University's orientation and methods as described above.
In its widest definition, textile research is about exploring {the potentials of} textile materials, textile technology, textile application and textile products in all forms. The field may be divided into four subordinate areas which correspond to education and research found at the UCB.

Textile technology – analysis and development of textile materials, i.e. fibers, non-woven, woven and knitted materails and also materials and chemicals {adapted} for lasting and environmentally sustainable preparation, dyeing and printing. Also, analysis and development of textile techniques such as weaving, knitting, spinning and preparation are included in this area.

Design – analytical and experimental design research directed toward the textile field – textile design, fashion design, interactional design and material design.

Trade and management – analysis and development of methods and techniques for textile trading, entrepreneurship, logistics and management of the textile design process, textile production and the product's way along the entire market chain.

Textile handicraft – analysis and development of textile handicrafts. Reconstructions of historical textiles are included here. The area is a good example of how researching materials, technology, design and cultural science allows knowledge to interweave and develop.

Thus, the textile research field includes engineering science, handicraft, design research based on practical experience and vocationally oriented management and trade research specialized in the textile field. The threads that bind these very different areas together are the textile materials, the textile techniques and the textile product.

The textile research field will be a prominent research profile at the Vocational University of Borås. The strength of the profile comes from:

Width, with highly developed communications between the different fields

Integration of design, material technology, production technology handicraft, culture and management and trade, based in modern design studios and state-of-the-art workshops and laboratories for preparation, knitwear, weaving, polymer-technical material development and characterization.

-Direct connections between education and research

-Strong regional and national support from the textile industry

-A well developed national and international network of actors in the {textile} field

Taken together with the collective competence profile of {the UCB} researchers, teachers and technicians, the vocational profile is unique and a great promise to join the {exclusive} group of Europe's leading textile research environments in the near future.