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​ADVAN​2TEX

A second example of Strategic Partnership is the project ADVAN2TEX – E-learning course for innovative textile fields. Launched in September 2014, the project lasted for two years and aimed at contributing towards the improvement of organisations' capacities in textile training areas, by adopting innovative practices, and also towards the improvement of textile skills' level and assessment, including entrepreneurship, languages and digital skills.

The project was developed in a partnership between INCDTP - The National R&D Institute for Textiles and Leather and the Technical University "Gh. Asachi", both from Romania, the Textile Testing Institute from Czech Republic, the University of Maribor from Slovenia and the University of Minho, through the Department of Textile Engineering (DET) of the EEUM.

Advan2Tex focused on enhancing the quality and relevance of the learning offer in training towards the latest developments in textile research and innovation. The consortium aimed at developing new tools for improving key competences of young textile specialists: professionals in the textile industry, young entrepreneurs and students in higher textile education. 

"The final objective was to create a pilot training course, funded by the project, which included 7 training modules", Luís Almeida, professor at the Department of Textile Engineering (DET) of the EEUM and lead researcher of the project at UMinho. "When we were preparing the application, we contacted several entities to collect contributions on the most imperative topics, so that a content programme could be drafted", the researcher adds. Of the 7 lectured modules – i) Advanced knitting technology; ii) Virtual prototyping of garments, 3D scanning, clothing for people with special needs; iii) New methods for testing textile materials; iv) Standardization of textile testing; v) Sustainability of textile technologies; vi) Entrepreneurship; vii) Innovation management -, the team at UMinho was responsible for developing and lecturing the fifth module. After the training materials were developed and prepared in the consortium's five languages, the course was lectured in each country as an e-learning training. "The course was a huge success in Portugal, as we ended up with more participants than we had initially predicted", Luís Almeida revealed. "Counting with the collaboration of TecMinho to organise the course, we ran the training in blended learning, with classrooms sessions and distance work".

At the UMinho, the research team included DET's professors Luís Almeida and Teresa Amorim in creating the training module and also Ana Maria Rocha, André Catarino and Miguel Carvalho in translating and lecturing the programme. Within the scope of this project, several guides for best practices and development of new business and research ideas were created.

The consortium, which had previously collaborated in the project "Fashion School", is currently developing the project TEX MATRIX, which will run from September 2016 to August 2018. Counting with TecMinho as a partner, this new project aims at defining and implementing the Knowledge Matrix for Innovation (KMI) in textile industry.​

+ info: http://www.advan2tex.eu/​​