Strategy of the development

The GEMTEX research laboratory belongs to ENSAIT, French Grande Ecole one of the leading textile schools in Europe which graduates more than one hundred twenty students on Ms Level in France. GEMTEX's research activities are organized around a three of autonomous research groups, each of which is headed by one or more professors or research scientists and dedicated to applied research for Textiles. These groups are focused on following activities:

• Human Centred Design (denoted HCD),
• Multifunctional Textiles and Processes (denoted MTP),
• Mechanics
• Textiles Composites (denoted MTC)

In addition, GEMTEX hosts the

• EUGENIE Technology Transfer Unit aiming at development of research activities with industrial partners and

• Collaborative Projects Unit with main activities focused on development and management of collaborative projects on regional, national and European level.

1.1 History

Textile research at ENSAIT began with GEMTEX creation in 1992 with two research groups: Textile chemistry and Textile automation. In the beginning, the laboratory has been focused mainly on academic researches without close relations with industrial companies. Since 1992, GEMTEX laboratory has developed its research activities, collaborations with other laboratories and started to be involved with industrial companies in early 2000s. Since 2000, the laboratory has undertaken many actions in order to comfort its position as an important actor for textile research with a truly global dimension. Industrials collaborations have been strongly amplified in the last years with creation of EUGENIE in 2009 and with a development of activities related to collaborative projects last few years. All activities undertaken by the GEMTEX take also into account the European dimension. The GEMTEX is part of the AUTEX network (Association for Universities of Textiles) which regroups universities offering textile training and research.

Figure 1: Publishing activity in GEMTEX (from 2003 to date in Scientific Journals with Impact Factor)

The Table 1 summarizes GEMTEX European integrated projects (Framework Prorammes 6 and 7). GEMTEX ? ENSAIT is coordinator of INTIMIRE and MAPICC 3D integrated projects and is involved as partner in several other projects. 

Table 1. FP 6 and FP 7. Integrated Projects

Similar to publishing activity, involvement of GEMTEX in European as well as Federal collaborative projects has increased significantly those past few years. To date, GEMTEX leads European projects in the frame of FP7 and built close partnerships with other universities to take part of other research programs (see section: List of Projects 2010 - on progress).

GEMTEX researchers participate also to a number of International Scientific Conferences (more than 50 per year) and their papers are published in conference proceedings. However, in this report only journals articles, chapters in books and patents from 2008 to date have been presented in order to focus on the best published papers.

1.2 Strategy and innovations

GEMTEX laboratory consolidates its image on international level and remain an important research partner in the field of textiles, clothing and advanced materials such as textile composites. The development strategy of GEMTEX is organised on short and long terms and must guarantee its scientific excellence, independence and sustainability. GEMTEX laboratory has to remain the main innovation tool of ENSAIT. The scientific production of the laboratory has to be balanced in terms of quality and quantity and regarding to its structure including 3 research groups. The active participation to scientific networks and clusters including creation of common research group with DTPCIM textile materials laboratory of "Ecole des Mines de Douai" and participation to the research cluster GIS MTA (Research cluster on advanced textile materials) composed of 5organizations : ENSCL Lille, HEI Lille, ENSAIT, EMDand Institut Pasteur Lille, is one of the laboratory's priorities. DTPCIM laboratory research activities concerning the infusion process and modelling are complementary with the