Underscoring its commitment to innovation， the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers （CEMATEX） will continue to promote excellence in research and development at ITMA 2019. The CEMATEX Research & Innovation Grant will help defray participation cost of eligible educational and research organisations at the Research & Innovation（R&I） Pavilion by at least 50%.

Mr. Fritz P. Mayer， President of CEMATEX which owns the ITMA exhibition， announced： “Innovation has always been key to the global competitiveness and sustainability of textile and garment makers. Research and development plays a critical role to help the industry develop new competitive advantages.”

He added， “ITMA is an ideal platform to foster collaboration among researchers， businesses and investors. An ITMA 2015 survey revealed that more than 90% of the R&I exhibitors were able to establish new business relations and open up new markets. Hence， we are glad to continue to support these exhibitors with the CEMATEX grant for the third time.”

DITF Denkendorf， one of Germanys largest centres of textile research， has been a regular ITMA participant. Prof. Dr.-Ing. G？tz T. Gresser， Member of the Board， said： “Our research activities span the entire textile value chain， from raw material to final product. As ITMA also covers solutions for the whole value chain and attracts an international audience， it provides an excellent environment for us to share our research， observe the latest market developments and meet potential partners. We are looking forward to another successful participation at ITMA 2019.”

The R&I Pavilion will showcase cutting-edge textile and related research and development projects and serve to encourage collaboration among companies， research centres and universities to develop novel materials and technologies to transform the textile， garment and fashion industry.

Speakers Platform

In addition to providing outstanding opportunities to research organisations and universities to share their R&D achievements， the R&I Pavilion also provides an excellent platform for participating institutes and guest industry speakers to share their latest knowledge and projects at the Speakers Platform.

Dr. Jon Rust， Interim Director of Zeis Textiles Extension in North Carolina State University of Textiles， enthused： “Taking part in the ITMA Research & Innovation Pavilion has helped to profile our university to a global audience. The Speakers Platform offers an additional channel to raise awareness of our research projects and facilitate knowledge transfer. With ITMA 2019 theme being ‘Innovating the World of Textiles， we are anticipating a more exciting exhibition.”

The Speakers Platform at the R&I Pavilion will feature 20-minute presentations based on the following topics：

？ Raw materials and manufacturing technology

？ Automation and digitalisation： Creating new opportunities in the textile and fashion industry

？ Technical textile innovations and manufacturing technology

？ Sustainable textile and garment manufacturing in the circular economy

ITMA 2019 will be held from 20 to 26 June at Fira de Barcelona， Gran Via venue. More than 50 per cent of the space has been booked since application for exhibition space started in May. The exhibition will showcase the latest technologies and sustainable solutions for the entire textile and garment manufacturing value chain in 19 chapters. In addition to machinery， exhibits will also include fibres， yarns and fabrics， as well as leasing and finance services.endprint