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Fibrenet-background

FibreNet

Tampere University
1.12.2017–30.11.2021
Area of focusTechnology

FibreNet is an EU-funded H2020 MSCA-ITN project. A general goal in the ITN projects is to cooperate in research and PhD training in fields that are important to the European economy. The core of FibreNet is a coalition of seven European universities and eight industrial organizations operating in the field of bio-based fibres. For this four-year project, 15 PhD fellows have been recruited for three years.

Background

Bio-based industries form an important industrial sector in Europe. In 2012, the annual turnover of EU's bioeconomy was worth two trillion € and accounted for more than 22 million jobs and approximately 9% of the workforce. The European Commission has recognized the bioeconomy as one of the future drivers for sustainable economic growth in Europe and has shaped a strategy for the development of the sector.

Bio-based fibres are an example of bio-based materials. Three important traditional sectors of European bio-based industry that utilize bio-based fibres are paper and pulp industry, clothing and textile industry and biocomposites. Currently, all of them are undergoing an intensive transformation phase. This is due to overcapacity (e.g., reduction in the use of printing paper due to digitalization), push towards bio-based economy (need for greener products throughout their entire life cycle) and changes in the end users and their needs (changes caused, e.g., by the aging society). Thus, there is an increasing need for totally new environmentally friendly products and for products with new functionalities. This transformation requires very specific research and professionals with new types of skill sets and competences.

Goal

The goals of the Fibrenet-project are:

  • Training of PhDs and structuring doctoral training in bio-based fibres in Europe
  • Research of bio-based fibres (either natural fibres or manmade in origin) in the three different application fields of biocomposites, paper & packaging materials and biomedical textiles and cell scaffolds
  • Enhancing European networking in the field
  • Sustainability

Fibres, fibre-fibre bonds and the interaction of fibres with other components of the fibre-products have a central role in forming the characteristics of the end-products. Thus, FibreNet emphasizes the role of fibres in the product design and manufacturing and, for this purpose, develops a common methodological toolbox that can be applied in different fields of fibre-based industry.

FibreNet adopts a multi-scale, multi-domain approach that aims at seamlessly joining the different parts of the product development and manufacturing process. The cross-disciplinary approach ranges from chemical functionalization of fibres at the molecular scale to micromechanical and physicochemical testing at the microscale as well as production and testing at the macroscale. Furthermore, modelling and simulation is applied at all scales to provide improved insights in the mechanisms behind the material and product behaviour. 

Funding source

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 764713

The EU emblem

Partners

Tampere University (coordinator), Bcomp (Switzerland), BillerudKorsnäs (Sweden), Biotex (Germany), Educell (Slovenia), ITA-GmbH (Germany), Kemira (Finland), KTH (Sweden), KU Leuven (Belgium), Litia (Slovenia), Maastricht University (Netherlands), Mondi (Austria), Tetra Pak (Sweden), TU Graz (Austria), University of Maribor (Slovenia)

Contact persons

Prof. Pasi Kallio, coordinator, pasi.kallio [at] tuni.fi (pasi[dot]kallio[at]tuni[dot]fi), 0500-52 55 46