Company Day at University of Borås

Company Day is an exclusive event where representatives from different companies come to University of Borås to present thesis and work collaborations for the students. The company representatives come here specifically to meet us and share how we can contribute and get involved in their projects, research, innovations and be a part of the solutions. This is not only a day for mingles and network but also a great opportunity to learn about the latest updates, insights and challenges face by the various industries. I find this event extremely valuable for students as I can relate how to apply what I’ve learnt in my studies into real practice.

The presentations were held in English. It’s an intense half day event where each company was only allocated a maximum of 10 minutes for the presentation due to the vast number of companies present. It’s a really good sign! Many companies are eager to meet and collaborate with students. This can even lead to future career opportunities.

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Which industries/areas are involved?

Textiles is not just about apparel/fashion. It is applied everywhere. Collaboration areas include: healthcare, automotive, environmental, governmental, fashion, chemical, robotics, furniture, design, supply chain, engineering, social media and more.

Which companies/organizations are present?

The companies include Volvo Trucks Sweden, IKEA, GraftCraft AB, Red CrossSP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Miljöbron and many more. There are also many private companies present. One of them is a producer of high-tech fabrics with clients in the automotive and apparel industry, including Volvo, Prada, Hermes, Coach and more. Another is a sourcing organization based in Hong Kong that works with high profile brands globally. I’ll just stop here because there are many more.

Few examples of the thesis collaborations and research projects

The thesis and research projects are very specific with a lot of information provided but I’m just going to give a quick overview.

  • Medical innovation through textile technology: Further develop the world’s first fully removable stent and the world’s first flow-optimized bypass graft
  • Expanding opportunities for the less-privilege women in Thanapara village, Bangladesh: To work on design,product development and marketing of the fair-trade certified handicraft production; need to stay in Thanapara for 6-8 weeks
  • Robot-enhanced therapy (RET): Collaboration with University of Skövde in a project funded by the European Commission to develop the textile sensor on the robots with the goal to develop clinical interactive capacities and RET for children with autism spectrum disorder
  • Saving lives: Increasing capacity, design and production for fire-resistant fabrics and materials in households/public
  • Smart textiles: Communication between the driver and the vehicle
  • Sustainability:  Textile waste management and unemployment in Sweden
  • Product development: Based in Hong Kong for a few months; Work with the merchandising team in producing high quality products for some of the world’s leading brands; different areas including sourcing, product fittings and inspections, sketches, showroom
  • Changing the future of retail shopping: Market research for a new app developed by students from Chalmers University of Technology
  • Product launch in 2016: Working with a footwear company on several projects/proposals related to the launch
  • International market investigation: Working with an international Swedish company on market research on a very specific product segment
  • Collaboration with Marketplace Borås and the Fashion Gallery  in various projects, fashion shows and events management

That’s not all! There are many, many more projects which I did not mention as I would probably end up writing too much. I would be glad to share and elaborate more if you have a specific research/industry of interest. These collaborations are open to all students at University of Borås. Students can end up making a difference in the society and environment through some of these projects. Full of possibilities.

The space suit above was made at The Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, in a project collaboration with Spaceport Sweden. It is specifically for Renata Chlumska who is set to become the first Swedish woman in space. Spaceport Sweden is an initiative to establish commercial spaceflight from Kiruna in the north of Sweden, and to become Europe’s gateway to space. Commercial SPACE travel, on my bucket-list!

Space suit image credit: Sofia Sabel/imagebank.sweden.se

Angelina

Written by Angelina

21 Feb 2015