The European Commission, through the SME Instrument program, aims to support small and medium enterprises across Europe to develop and bring to market new products and services.

The company of personalized microfiber products, ARPE, within its products and services innovation strategy, submitted its project proposal to the last call for 2018 where it competed with 2.223 proposals from European companies in broad range of sectors.

ARPE proposal was among the 200 projects selected for funding of 50.000 € to develop a business plan. ARPE’s innovation is a game-changer business model integrating the life management of towels in fitness centers and other collectivities using a circular economy approach for delivering multiple life to the product and multiple economic valorization.

The results of this project will enable ARPE to acquire the required tools to assess the project implementation, including the research and development activities, industrialization, prototyping, pilot tests, etc. for driving it toward market introduction.

ARPE received support from AEI TÈXTILS, the technical textile cluster of Catalonia, in preparing this first stage. AEI TÈXTILS, as a business organization with know-how in the technical textiles sector and with expertise in strategic re-orientation within this field, will continue collaborating with the company in the development of the business plan which will be performed in 6 months.

This is the second project from a cluster member that has chosen this program to search for new business opportunities and which has counted on the collaboration of the cluster. The other company that has benefited from the program is S.A. HILADOS EGARFIL, who is currently finalizing the business plan for the development of a new yarn.

This milestone implies a new recognition of the innovation capacity of the sector and how a cluster can contribute to increase the competitiveness of its members.