After a successful first call, the second call is now open as a new opportunity to develop design-driven products in furniture, textile, footwear, accessories, jewellery and leather sectors
WORTH Partnership Project, an initiative of the European Union to boost the fashion and lifestyle industry within Europe and develop innovative and design-driven products, has announced the first 25 winning partnerships from the first call.
Now, the #WORTHPartnershipProject reopens applications to discover the next round of
promising projects. WORTH is embarking on the second edition of a 4-year journey, aiming to support 150 partnerships throughout the project duration.
the second call for applications opened 17th of April and will be ongoing until 24th of October 2018. The WORTH Community is rapidly increasing, with over 700 members registered on the WORTH platform ready to connect and build transnational collaborations.
Awarded projects will receive funding, coaching, participation in international events, professional links, market upscale and access to an innovative community to kick-start their innovative design ideas.
COSME WORTH Partnership Project supports collaborations between fashion designers, traditional and digital craftsmanship and the manufacturing industry. The selected partnerships will receive financial and capacity building support to exchange knowledge and skills between manufacturing, creative and technology companies with:
€ 10,000 seed money per project
Individual coaching and advice on product market positioning, branding and Intellectual
Property Rights
Participation in two international events
Networking, cross-sectorial collaboration, and product development
WORTH Partnership Project provides funding for transnational partnerships between highly innovative SMEs in fashion, design and lifestyle industries.
The first edition received over 100 promising project proposals, which were narrowed down to 41 short-listed partnerships who pitched in an international competition in front of a high profile jury. The final evaluations resulted in 25 innovative partnerships chosen for the outstanding quality of ideas and partners. Partnerships are formed of SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprise) partners working in the fashion and consumer goods industry across Europe who can apply to the project: designers, crafters, starts ups, SMEs, and technology firms operating in the following sectors: fashion/textile, footwear, leather, jewellery, accessories, furniture and home decoration.
During the first WORTH international pitching event, there was a high level of individual
commitment from both the short-listed partnerships and the international jury. With the event resulting in the genesis of a community of innovation leaders, sharing their knowledge and experience, the expectations for WORTH Weekend were surpassed.
“There is no price for that unique experience” – said Sabri Colle from Madesign partnership.
The first WORTH weekend focused on how European creativity and innovation, and the fusion between traditional and new skills can make a significant change to the fashion/textile, footwear/leather/furniture and design based industries. “We have to reflect on new ways of mixing creativity and innovation and expressing creativity through the lens of other disciplines” –
Leslie Holden, director of the Amsterdam School of Fashion and member of the steering board, expressed.
Anna Athanasopoulou- The European Commission Head of Unit for Tourism, Emerging and
Creative Industries, DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said “We attach great importance to the WORTH partnership project. Through this initiative, and thanks to the EU programme COSME, we encourage exchange of knowledge and skills between fashion designers, traditional and digital craftsmanship and the manufacturing industry. Our goal is to help small companies integrate creativity and innovation into the way they produce goods or provide services so that they remain competitive and grow.”
WORTH Partnership Project, an initiative of the European Union, supporting collaborations between SMEs and start-up designers, manufacturers and technology firms to create innovative and design-driven products and ideas. The initiative is funded under the COSME programme and is implemented by a consortium across Europe with the core belief that creative industries (SMEs and start-ups) are key drivers of economic growth in Europe.
WORTH Partnership Project is funded by the COSME Programme of the European
Union for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises. Apply: http://www.worthproject.eu/register/
About WORTH Partnership Project
WORTH Partnership Project looks to develop new products and ideas across European and
COSME countries by supporting innovative designs, processes and business models through cross-border and cross-discipline collaborations. With cultural and creative industries (CCIs) accounting for over 3% of the European Union’s gross domestic product and jobs, the EU has started the initiative to ensure CCIs are increasingly able to contribute to employment and growth across Europe.
The Worth Partnership Project application call will be on going throughout 4 years, with different windows of opportunity. The second call will close on 24th October. Further application intakes will take place in 2019 and 2020, with the end goal to support 150 innovative partnership projects, totaling a minimum of 450 individual companies (SMEs and startups).
Who can apply?
SME/start up designers, manufacturers and technology firms from the fashion and consumer goods industry may apply. Those actively looking for new opportunities to connect, create and innovate to exploit intriguing design ideas and fashionable concepts with new technologies, may to head to WORTH Partnership Project website to submitting their idea or project proposal.
Support for Selected Partnerships
Once selected, participants will be supported in matching with the best partners for them to
develop their project ideas.
Each partnership will receive:
financial support of 10k euro to mature and bring their idea to life,
tailor-made coaching and mentoring by specialists to improve knowledge and skills
related to design, technology, manufacturing processes, and business strategy; access to
finance; market positioning support; legal support and intellectual property rights
management
support with networking activities to encourage collaboration and market upscale,
and
participation at two international events to showcase the products developed.
A steering board of renowned experts from the high-end fashion, design and consumer goods industries will support the successful partnership projects.
Julia Körner – Award-winning international designer working at the convergence of
architecture, fashion, and product design.
Wolfgang Mildner – Founder of MSWtech in Germany, supporting companies and other
organisations to discover value in new technologies – especially in printed and flexible
electronics.
Leslie Holden – Head of Fashion & Design at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute.
Manuela Naveau – Lecturer at University of Art and Design Linz and Paris Lodron
University in Salzburg.
Thomas Gnahm – managing director of Wear It Berlin, the Berlin network and agency for
wearable electronics and everything connected.
Kolbrun Yr. Gunnarsdottir – Designer, stylist and Creative Director of Kolbrun & Idem
Jewellery, and head of the Icelandic Fashion Council.
Konstantyn Rybak – The Ukrainian fashion designer graduated Central Saint Martins
University of the Arts and founded Kofta, his unique fashion brand.
Pavel Ivancic – Award-winning designer, head of the AAAD Fashion Studio and Head of
Design at influential Czech fashion brand, Pietro Filipi.
