Fashion To Future is a project running since May 2006 up to April 2008 co-financed by the EU 6th Framework Programme to foster the competitiveness of SMEs in the enlarged Euro-Mediterranean fashion system. 38 partners from 19 countries are involved in the implementation of the project and Applied Research and Communications Fund runs it in Bulgaria.

The objective of the project is to enable SMEs to participate in future European RTD programmes (FP7) in order to pursue excellence through research, innovation, technology transfer in fashion system integrated with new technologies.

"Fashion to Future" intends to help addressing four main problems affecting the fashion sector:

• Lack of technological knowledge and demand/supply of technology in SMEs;
• Difficulties in participating in FP6 (and probably in FP7);
• Need for increased and more suitable project proposals;
• Need to extend and improve awareness of forthcoming FP7 opportunities.

F2F will then offer fashion SMEs key tools to become more innovative:

• A freely accessible technological intelligence database providing scientific and technology research results;
• Idea generation events to identify and lay down new project proposals;
• A freely accessible “Project Lab”, a service specifically conceived for Small and Medium Enterprises, to support in preparing R&D project outlines;
• Finding international partners and suitable funding opportunities;
• Fostering relationships and networking among intermediaries for innovation and R&D, enterprises, business associations, projects and European community initiatives;

For more information about the project please visit
http://www.fashiontofuture.eu

Press Release, 19.04.2007

For participation in the project initiatives please contact:
Ms. Maria Alexandrova
ARC Fund
Phone: (+359 2) 973300; Fax: (+359 2) 9733588
e-mail: maria.alexandrova@online.bg