Image: Conference speakers.
Bristol and online, 28 February – 2 March 2023
The Centre for Print Research (CFPR) is excited to announce the Future Textiles Conference 2023, Bristol and Online, 28 February – 2 March 2023, focusing on Future Clothing for the Next Generation.
Textiles are so ubiquitous, yet their functions have not been changed much since the dawn of civilization. Additionally, textiles have received widespread attention as a versatile platform in recent years for future wearable electronics applications. However, they are still far from the requirements of modern-day electronics.
The global textile industry is also often cited as the second most polluting industry after oil, responsible for ~8-10% of global CO2 emission, ~20% water pollution and ~35% microplastic pollution.
Therefore, radically new approaches are needed at both materials and manufacturing level to transform textiles into highly innovative, sustainable, and intelligent clothing.
This conference will provide a forum for collaborative discussions to address such key challenges at both academic and industry level to develop future clothing for the next generation and facilitate the rapid transition of such textiles from lab to market.
The conference key themes are:
- New Materials for Textiles
- Wearable Electronic Textiles (E-textiles)
- Digital Manufacturing (Industry 4.0)
- Sustainable Textile Manufacturing
- Circular Economy
- Smart Functional Textiles
- Protective Medical Clothing
The conference will have varied speakers from across the industry. Keynote speakers include Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov FRS from the National University of Singapore (NUS), who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for isolating graphene at The University of Manchester in 2004. He is an expert in condensed matter physics, mesoscopic physics, and nanotechnology. Every year since 2014, Kostya Novoselov has been included in the list of the most highly cited researchers in the world.
Other confirmed keynote speakers include Prof Stephen Russel and Prof Chris Carr from Leeds Institute for Textiles and Colour (LITAC), The university of Leeds, Prof Stephen Eichhorn from the University of Bristol, Prof Zijian Zheng from the Institute of Textile and Clothing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Mr James Baker CEng FIET FRSA, CEO- Graphene@manchester, the University of Manchester, Professor Melik Demirel from Penn State University, USA, Anne Marr from University Arts London (UAL), and Dr Jun Chen from UCLA.
“On behalf of the organising team, I am delighted to welcome you all to the first international conference on future textiles. The global textiles industry is currently facing a number of challenges in terms of materials, manufacturing and sustainability. Addressing these challenges, the Future Textiles Conference will provide us opportunity for collaborative discussions to propose strategies for next generation clothing which is smart and sustainable. We very much look forward to hearing from you about your exciting research around new materials, digital manufacturing and sustainability for future textiles.” says Dr Nazmul Karim, Conference Chair and Associate Professor at CFPR, UWE Bristol.
The first Future Textiles Conference is one of the key outcomes of £7.7M of funding from Research England for Expanding Excellence in England awarded to the Centre for Print Research, which has enabled us to build a brand new Graphene Application Laboratory, attracting a world-leading group of scientists to UWE Bristol including academics, fellows and PhD students, investigating novel applications and related technologies deriving from new materials, including graphene and other graphene-like, two-dimensional materials.
Dr Shaila Afroj, Co-organiser of the conference, says “This conference is going to be a fantastic opportunity to meet some of the great academics and industry experts who are leading the future textile industry, bringing all the exciting functionalities into your everyday clothing, yet care very much about the beautiful earth we live in. Eagerly looking forward to see all the great minds buzzing with new ideas, exploring new collaboration and getting excited to talk about all the new innovation. Hope to see you there … “
More information on the Future Textiles Conference.