FOSTEX: international cooperation to create for the textile sector
The Trans-European Fostex project aims to strengthen the link between university research and the textile industry to promote innovation and the creation of products with high added value.
The textile sector in Morocco and Jordan is made up of companies that have limited access to services focused on continuing education, research, technologies and financing. The universities involved in the two countries aim to develop guidelines that bring together companies, universities and research centers within the textile sector to fill the gaps identified thanks to the initiative.
By focusing on sharing knowledge, entrepreneurial skills, socio-cultural factors and innovation potential, Fostex contributes to strengthening the “knowledge triangle” by connecting education with research and innovation, thus stimulating social and economic development.
The Fostex project aims to achieve this by supporting the creation of centers dedicated to textile innovation in two partner countries of the European Union: Morocco and Jordan.
In Morocco, the existing research center at the Ecole Supérieure des Industries du Textile et de l’Habillement will be upgraded, while an ex-new one will be created based at the Hassan II University of Casablanca.
In parallel, the Jordanian universities involved in the project – Jordan University of Science and Technology and Al Balqa Applied University – will have the tools to implement two new innovation centers to fill the lack of specialized support from the country’s higher education institutions, giving the possibility for companies in the sector to invest in quality, innovation and the design of high added value products.
The initiative aims to achieve the following macro objectives:
– develop competitiveness through the reduction of production costs;
– increase the productivity, quality and design of textile products;
– training for the international certification of declaration of conformity;
– increase trust in the Made in Jordan and Made in Morocco quality brands;
– develop exports to markets adjacent to Jordan and Morocco and to explore new opportunities for non-traditional markets, such as African markets;
– develop and explore niche production opportunities where the competitive advantage is not based solely on price (i.e. specialized products, such as high-end textile products).
Furthermore, Fostex constitutes a transnational and multidisciplinary network involving 13 partners representing different types of organizations (universities, research and education centers, associations and chambers of commerce) from four different European countries (Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain) and two Arab countries (Jordan and Morocco), strengthening connections also outside the Union.
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