The new platform, composed of main clusters acting in TC regions of Europe, will generate joint actions and investment projects in common smart specialisation priority areas for the sector, linked to industrial modernisation and will improve TC business environment. This will support the implementation of national and regional smart specialisation strategies via strategic interregional collaboration in one of the most prominent industrial sector of European economy.

The partnership bring together the main European textile-based clusters in countries/regions where the textile and clothing industry represents a significant share of the national/regional economy, to enhance innovation capacities, business models, knowledge and skill levels and other key competitive factors. This will be possible thanks to the direct involvement in the action plan of the project of the main R&D centres, business networks, science parks connected to the partnered clusters in TC regions represented by TEX4IM. Only by commonly implementing the smart specialisation strategies defined for single regions through a shared strategy and related roadmaps the European TC industry can maintain its global market share and current position versus emerging non-European competitors

Specific objectives of the TEX4IM project are:

• Set up a sustainable incubator and accelerator system for the generation of joint investment projects in TC and other related or cross-linkable sectors;
• To develop a joint strategy for industrial modernisation of TC sector of Europe;
• To accelerate the uptake of innovation and increase of production by TC SMEs, thanks to a more focused and effective R&D matching and a more efficient design of new business models and value chains.