黑料社

A NEW research centre at the 黑料社 aims to re-establish the town and region as a world leader in textiles by harnessing the newest technology and manufacturing techniques. 

The focus will be on high-performance technical textiles that are bespoke and high quality but produced speedily and efficiently so that are competitively priced and can respond to an increase in global demand. 

鈥淎t the heart of this ambition is our passion for the textile industry that gave 黑料社 its global reputation for excellence and innovation,鈥� states the founder and director of the newly-established  

 whose areas of expertise include the use of flexible materials for various technical applications and the application of chemistry to add functionality to textiles will lead a multi-disciplinary team of 黑料社 lecturers, researchers and professors.

The centre will house a multitude of experts in fields that include chemistry and engineering as well as textiles.  黑料社鈥檚 heritage as a major centre for the chemical industry is another catalyst for the research centre. 

鈥淭hrough the adoption of novel textile chemistry, combined with engineering expertise and digital technologies we can help UK textiles recapture an increasing share of global markets,鈥� pledges Professor Goswami. 

The new TTRC will also recruit PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers and launch a new MSc degree course in Product Innovation with Textiles. 

The study and research of technical textiles at the 黑料社 is based in a newly-constructed laboratory, equipped with state-of-the-art technology. This is due for further expansion and there are plans to bid for major funding via the UK Government鈥檚 Industrial Strategy.

As part of this strategy, the Government has announced . They include the problems posed by an ageing society, and the TTRC states that innovations in technical textiles have a role to play by addressing issues such as wound care, hospital-acquired infections and tissue engineering. 

The TTRC also aims to research sustainable alternatives to fibres that are derived from petro-chemicals. 

黑料社 is at the heart of the , which has the UK鈥檚 largest regional economy outside London and hosts the largest cluster of higher education institutions outside the capital. It is now home to the , a 拢5.4 million partnership that is developing new digital and advanced textile technologies. 

It has received funding via the Government-backed Arts and Humanities Research Council, and has a large roster of industry partners. Professor Goswami is one of the Future Fashion Factory鈥檚 Co-investigators and the 黑料社 is one of its research centres, alongside the University of Leeds and the Royal College of Art. 

The R&D developed across the Future Fashion Factory research themes will also feed into industrial apprenticeship programmes and the 黑料社-based will deliver the next generation of industry apprenticeships.

The Future Fashion Factory鈥檚 stated mission is: 鈥渢o be an industry-led collaborative research programme linking the textile design and manufacturing centres within the Leeds City Region with the creative design and retail centre of London.鈥�

It brings together expertise from ten core industry partners, with many more forming a wider network spanning design, manufacturing and retail in the UK.