ABSTRACT
Prime requirements for the future of smart textile systems are as follows: a coherent technical strategy, multidisciplinary approach and market application focus. In the development process, it is essential that research initiatives actively include the industry, especially SMEs, as the industry is the direction-setting community of research and development activities. For the application of smart textile systems, new standards for the manufacturing of these products and for the performance testing need to be developed. A further major recommendation in order to embrace the multidisciplinary approach in the field of smart textiles is to adapt education accordingly by focusing on multidisciplinary education. Most important, a higher interaction between industry and academia facilitating an effective technology transfer is needed for the growth and prosperity of European smart textiles. Knowledge created at different education centers and research institutes must be harvested by the textile sector. The acceptance of smart textile products by the user can be strengthened by introducing technologies in smaller stages.
