Textile technology and smart textiles are complex topics that include the evolution and use of very intriguing technologies in a wide range of industries. Textile and fashion production in Europe has shifted significantly from Europe to other countries. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan are among the main textile producers represented in the SMARTEX collaboration.

The SMARTEX project, which began in 2020, includes one company in Europe, three universities in Europe (Greece, Belgium, and Spain), and six universities in Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan), namely University of Western Attica, Ghent University, Universitat Politècnica deValència, IDEC SA, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Politeknik STTT Bandung, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bahauddin Zakariya University, NED University of Engineering and Technology. The companies and universities involved have majors in textile and fashion engineering.

“This international collaboration is a really great opportunity for FSRD, especially the Craft Study Program,” said Dr. Andryanto Rikrik Kusmara, M.Sn., Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design (FSRD) ITB. The SMARTEX program is meant to increase students' job skills and knowledge of textile technology, allowing them to follow and contribute to technological advancements in the textile sector, particularly in the industrial era 4.0.

SMARTEX's main goal is to promote the modernization and internationalization of higher education institutions in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, in accordance with the priorities highlighted in the new EU consensus on development and EU higher education around the world. The program was also launched to strengthen competence and skills in Asian universities by restructuring undergraduate degree programs, which will bring the national education system up to European Union standards and increase graduates' labor-market competitiveness.

Over the next three years, the SMARTEX program will focus on curriculum development, development of learning materials and e-learning, capacity building of academics and administrative staff at Asian universities, improvement of laboratory equipment standards, inter-university staff exchange, and student internships in textile technology companies.

Currently, three new elective courses in the textile interest track have been added to the Craft study program, namely Advanced Textile Knowledge, Biological Processed Textiles, and Electronic Textiles, which are outcomes of the SMARTEX initiative. Students in the Craft study program who are interested in textiles can enroll in the Advanced Textile Knowledge course in the fifth semester and the Bioprocessed Textile and Electronic Textile courses in the sixth semester.

“The Advanced Textile Knowledge course has been operating this semester,” stated Dr. Gita Winata, M.Ds., Head of the Craft Study Program. More than 30 students eagerly enrolled in the course. It is anticipated that this smart textile curriculum modernization program will increase Craft students' skills so that they can contribute to the development of Indonesian textiles and become one of the future references for Craft study programs in curriculum development and evaluation," he said.

Reference: http://www.smartexproject.eu/index.php/en/
Source: FSRD ITB

Translator: Sekar Dianwidi Bisowarno (Bioengineering, 2019)