In the first quarter of 2024, Techtera was involved as a partner in 10 European projects. These projects address a range of issues (circularity, international development, digitisation, etc.), and involve a wide variety of activities: international missions, workshops, mappings, consumer studies, life cycle analyses, etc.
Two projects in particular illustrate this diversity: REC-N-COMP and AlpTextyles.
REC-N-COM: closing of a partnership for international development – recycled materials and composites
On 23 and 24 February 2024, the REC-N-COMP project organised its closing event. It welcomed nearly 70 participants to Belgium, in Kortrijk, for a day organised at the Circular Materials Center managed by Centexbel – VKC. In addition to a guided tour of the CMC, the event featured a series of conferences covering the subject of circular business models, the presentation of a reversible gluing technology developed by Centexbel, and testimonials from companies supported by REC-N-COMP. The following day, participants were able to take part in a visit to Carpentier (wood solutions for the home) and Vitalo (thermoformed plastics).
The project officially ended on 15 March 2024, after 30 months of work devoted to building bridges between Europe and 3 target countries: Japan, the United States, and Singapore. 22 European SMEs were supported in their international development on the recycled materials and composites market in these three countries, as part of 3 collective missions. Supported by dedicated market studies, webinars and targeted group and individual meetings, these missions were the high point of the project and the main way for the companies involved to discover new markets, meet partners and strengthen their development in the target countries.
Testimonial from Ewa Witoń-Morgiewicz (TC3), participant in the mission to Japan organised by Techtera: “The organizer’s attention to detail ensured a seamless experience, allowing us to focus on the primary objective of exploring opportunities in Japan’s composites market. This mission has undoubtedly accelerated our global expansion efforts and positioned us for future success in the Japanese or European market. I’m thoroughly impressed by the professionalism and effectiveness demonstrated throughout the entire event.”
In addition to the various exchanges initiated between European and local companies, 3 Memoranda of Understanding have been signed between REC-N-COMP and local partners, covering exchange of information and the organisation of events and meetings. Following an agreement with the University of Southern California in the United States and Tohoku University in Japan, an agreement with EWTCOI, a research centre in Singapore, was signed in March 2024.
REC-N-COMP was Techtera’s last Clusters go International project dedicated to economic development outside Europe and co-funded by the European Union’s COSME programme, following the recent completion of TEXGLOBAL and EU-ALLIANCE. The next international support programme outside Europe will be organised as part of the EuroBoosTex project, and will target Australia.
AlpTextyles: textile heritage and sustainability
Contact: Robin ODDON –roddon@techtera.org
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