Throughout the period, UPWEARS strengthened its international presence by stepping onto the stage of major scientific and industrial events across Europe and beyond. From conferences and workshops to high-level exhibitions, these platforms offered the consortium prime opportunities to unveil its latest breakthroughs in bio-based electronic textiles, spark dialogue with the research community and build strong connections with industry.
From Europe to the other side of the globe, UPWEARS partners have been actively shaping the conversation on the future of sustainable, high-performance textiles, reinforcing the project’s role as a key contributor to next-generation textile innovation.
Here’s a look at where UPWEARS has been and where it’s headed next.
Life Cycle Management Conference 2025, 9 – 11 September 2025, Palermo, Italy
At the Life Cycle Management Conference 2025, UPWEARS took the spotlight through a poster presented by Lola Eelen, unveiling a new Circular Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (C-LCSA) framework designed specifically for bio-based electronic textiles. Developed within UPWEARS, the framework brings together environmental, economic and social dimensions to deliver a truly holistic sustainability assessment. By introducing standardised data guidelines and dedicated circularity metrics, this work lays the groundwork for robust, transparent and comparable evaluations across the entire e-textile value chain, underscoring UPWEARS’ commitment to circular and responsible textile innovation.
3rd European Summer School on Bio-based Composites (ESBBC-3), 15 – 17 September 2025, Cambridge, UK
From 15 to 17 September 2025, the University of Cambridge hosted the 3rd European Summer School on Bio-based Composites (ESBBC-3), an intensive three-day event bringing together students, early-career researchers and industry experts working on bio-based materials, fibres and textiles. The Summer School offered a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, training and discussion on the future of sustainable materials.
UPWEARS was strongly represented throughout the programme, with several project partners contributing key perspectives on the bio-based materials landscape. Gilda Santos (CITEVE) opened discussions on the European textile value chain, while Dr Claire Mayer-Laigle (INRAE) explored strategies to enhance plant biomass for improved material performance and functionality. The project itself was showcased by Dr Sofiane Guessasma, who presented UPWEARS’ work on biomimetic and bio-inspired textiles, highlighting how fundamental research can translate into sustainable textile innovation.
The event also shone a spotlight on emerging talent within the UPWEARS consortium. Marc Rouchon, PhD student at INRAE, received the Best Student Presentation Prize for his work on Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) as a pathway towards more sustainable fibre processing.
ESRF Workshop | Multi-probe Imaging for Materials – 22–24 September 2025
In late September, the UPWEARS project was represented at the Multi-probe Imaging for Materials workshop, held from 22 to 24 September at the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble. The event was organised within the framework of the ReMade@ARI EU project (REcyclable MAterials DEvelopment at Analytical Research Infrastructures), a Horizon Europe–funded initiative, with the participation of DragonFly.
Bringing together leading experts in X-ray, electron and neutron imaging, the workshop focused on advanced imaging approaches and their applications in materials science. The programme combined two plenary days and an optional tutorial day, featuring scientific presentations, a poster session, guided visits to ESRF imaging beamlines and hands-on tutorials. Participants also had the opportunity to interact directly with beamline and instrument scientists and to explore future research opportunities through ReMade@ARI and ESRF proposal schemes.
As part of the scientific programme, Sofiane Guessasma delivered a keynote lecture addressing the use of synchrotron-based in situ experimental techniques for additive manufacturing. His presentation highlighted how real-time, high-resolution synchrotron imaging enables the observation of process–structure relationships during material deposition, phase transformations and defect formation, offering valuable insights for process optimisation and performance prediction in additively manufactured materials.
The First Conference on Absolute Sustainability: From Less-Bad to Good Enough, 30 September – 2 October 2025, Helsingør, Denmark
In early October 2025, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) opened its doors to the first Conference on Absolute Sustainability, a landmark event exploring how research and innovation can operate within clearly defined environmental and societal limits. Among the contributors, UPWEARS brought its perspective on circularity in emerging textile technologies.
Lola Eelen presented a poster entitled “Circular Design Strategies for Wearable Electronic Textiles”, shedding light on the growing sustainability challenges associated with e-textiles, a fast-developing field at the crossroads of textiles and electronics. Her work examined how circular design principles can be embedded from the earliest stages of product development to tackle end-of-life issues before they arise.
The 20th SDEWES conference, 6 – 10 October 2025, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Later that month, Lola also took part in SDEWES 2025 (6-10 October 2025), an international conference focused on sustainable development of energy, water and environmental systems. She presented her first Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results on an alternative, greener bleaching process based on the use of natural solvents for flax fibres.
The presentation highlighted the environmental benefits and trade-offs of this innovative approach, positioning it as a promising pathway towards more eco-friendly and resource-efficient flax fibre processing. By applying robust life cycle thinking at an early stage of process development, the work contributes to UPWEARS’ broader objective of embedding sustainability assessment at the core of bio-based textile innovation.
International Conference on Artificial Intelligence | 3rd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Automation Control – 15–17 October 2025
In mid-October, UPWEARS was represented at the 3rd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Automation Control, held in Paris and organised by IEEE, as part of the activities of WP5. The conference provided a high-level international forum dedicated to advances in artificial intelligence and automation control, bridging theoretical developments with real-world applications.
The event brought together researchers, engineers, practitioners and industry experts from academia and industry, fostering exchanges on key topics such as adaptive control, AI algorithms, multi-agent systems, control engineering and related technologies.
During the conference, Sofiane Guessasma presented a joint research contribution developed in collaboration with the University of Fez (Morocco), entitled Artificial Neural Networks in Textiles. The presentation highlighted the potential of artificial neural networks for modelling, analysis and optimisation in textile engineering, illustrating how AI-driven approaches can support the development of advanced, high-performance textile systems.
The conference proceedings, including this contribution, were published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), further reinforcing the international visibility of UPWEARS’ research activities.
European Union – New Zealand Business Summit 2025, 23-24 october 2025 – Auckland, NZ
During the European Union – New Zealand Business Summit 2025, UPWEARS was showcased through a dedicated video highlighting the contribution of the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited. Screened as part of the official programme, the video offered international visibility to UPWEARS’ research activities and underlined the strategic role of global cooperation in driving sustainable innovation.
This moment illustrated how international collaboration beyond Europe is helping accelerate progress in bio-based materials and advanced textiles. By connecting research organisations, industries and innovation ecosystems across continents, UPWEARS demonstrates how shared expertise and aligned ambitions can contribute to shaping a more sustainable and resilient future.
International Conference on Modelling | COMSOL Conference – 29–31 October 2025
At the end of October, the UPWEARS project was showcased at the COMSOL International Conference in Amsterdam, a major event that gathered over 280 participants from across the scientific and industrial communities, including researchers, engineers, software developers and industry representatives.
During the conference, Sofiane Guessasma represented UPWEARS through an invited keynote presentation, offering a unique perspective on textile modelling by combining synchrotron radiation techniques with finite element computation. This high-level intervention highlighted the project’s advanced methodological approach to understanding textile behaviour.
The event also marked an important milestone for UPWEARS’ early-career researchers, as first results from WP5, led by PhD candidate Sandra Mokli, were published as a technical paper in the official conference proceedings, further strengthening the project’s scientific visibility on the international stage.
Webinar : Vieillissement et maintien de la performance des matériaux biosourcés, 21 November 2025
On 21 November 2025, the UPWEARS project was featured in a dedicated webinar organised by Bioeconomy For Change, focusing on the ageing and performance of bio-based materials. The online event brought together researchers and innovation stakeholders to explore how bio-based materials evolve over time and how their long-term performance can be assessed and improved.
During the webinar, Vincent Placet introduced the vision and scientific ambition behind UPWEARS, highlighting advances in bio-inspired and bio-based electronic textiles, smart functionalised fibres and yarns, AI-driven process optimisation, and the development of greener processing routes, including eutectic-based bleaching solutions. The session also featured Clément Prunier, who presented his research on humidity-induced microstructural changes in coated plant-fibre yarns, revealed through in-situ X-ray tomography. Together, the presentations provided valuable insights into durability, process understanding and the future of high-performance, sustainable bio-based materials.
Webinar : Materials Society of Cumbria, entitled “Biomimetics: Learning from Nature” – 9 December 2025
In december, UPWEARS research was highlighted during an online webinar organised by the Materials Society of Cumbria, entitled “Biomimetics: Learning from Nature”. The event brought together materials scientists and innovation enthusiasts to explore how natural structures can inspire new approaches in material science and engineering.
Luke Malone, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Natural Material Innovation (University of Cambridge), took the floor to present how biological systems (from beetle mandibles to pinecones) offer valuable design principles for advanced materials and architectural applications. As part of his presentation, he showcased his research within the Horizon Europe UPWEARS project, illustrating how biomimicry is being leveraged to develop high-performance, bio-based and sustainable electronic textile solutions for sports applications. The webinar highlighted the growing role of nature-inspired design in shaping the next generation of smart, eco-designed materials, in line with UPWEARS’ vision for sustainable innovation.
Seminar & Lab Visit | SSHMC Seminar Series – 22–26 December 2025
In December, UPWEARS took part in the SSHMC seminar series held in Dongguan, China, co-organised by Dongguan University of Technology (DGUT) and the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM). Bringing together researchers from CNAM, DGUT and the University of Hong Kong, alongside master’s and PhD students, the event offered a rich platform for scientific exchange.
Across several sessions, the seminars explored topics ranging from automation to fibre-based engineering applications. As part of the programme, Sofiane Guessasma, coordinator of UPWEARS, presented key insights into natural fibres, addressing their hierarchical structures, mechanical behaviour and inherent variability, as well as the challenges linked to their integration into engineering and technical textile applications.
The seminar series was complemented by laboratory visits, offering participants a first-hand look at cutting-edge research facilities, particularly in the field of robotics, and reinforcing the strong link between fundamental research and applied innovation.
Looking ahead, UPWEARS enters 2026 with strong momentum, creating new spaces for dialogue and collaboration between research and industry.
Curious to go deeper into bio-based innovation?
Take your expertise to the next level at the UPWEARS Technical Workshop, hosted at CITEVE (Portugal)!
| When? 27 January 2026 Where? Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal🕘 Morning session: 9:00–10:30 (UTC) – accessible online |
Whether you’re a researcher, industry professional or innovation stakeholder, this one-day technical workshop is your opportunity to engage directly with the UPWEARS consortium, explore concrete results, and discover advanced textile processes, live demonstrations and laboratory facilities.
To encourage broad participation, the morning session will be accessible online for those unable to attend on site : Register now
Meet UPWEARS at JEC World 2026
| When: 10–12 March 2026 Where: Paris Nord Villepinte, FranceHall 5 – Circularity Village |
UPWEARS will be showcased at JEC World 2026, the leading international trade fair for composite materials, within the Circularity Village (Hall 5) — a premium collective space dedicated to circularity and responsible innovation.
Hosted in a highly visible shared “pod” stand, UPWEARS will present a selection of targeted demonstrators highlighting its bio-based, functional and biomimetic approach to next-generation textiles and composites, including:
- Functionalised yarns and fibre-based sensor demonstrators
- Shock-absorbing materials and biomimetic structures
- Selected textile samples developed by CITEVE
Join us and be part of the UPWEARS innovation journey !
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