UKRI Circular Fashion and Textile Programme – NetworkPlus

Support for interdisciplinary teams to become one of three sub-networks, which will collectively form part of a larger NetworkPlus, in order to drive change in the fashion industry in terms of sustainability.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), with Innovate UK (IUK) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), is leading on this UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) scheme to create an interdisciplinary NetworkPlus to help understand and drive the fashion industry towards sustainable and responsible practices. Teams can apply to become one of three sub-networks, which will collectively form part of a larger, interdisciplinary NetworkPlus. This is a pre-announcement and information is subject to change.

Through the initiative, research will be embedded in the development of solutions to support the fashion and textiles sectors through reforms that protect and restore the environment. It will begin to establish the environmental and design baselines, standards and principles that will be necessary to inform and assess future innovations and solutions.

Sub-networks will work together to build a community and bridge the gap between different sectors, such as the fashion sector, designers, artists, researchers in material cultures and textiles, market researchers, environmental scientists, industry, and manufacturers. They will provide new expertise and innovation to address three research challenge areas:

• Data analysis, assessment and collation.
• Start to establish science-validated baselines.
• Environmental impact and circularity.

Three interdisciplinary awards will be given (one addressing each challenge) that will become one larger NetworkPlus and will collectively cover the breadth of research areas listed above.