University College Ghent (HOGENT) consists of three faculties a School of Arts and a supporting Service Centre. Its 24 departments are responsible for 41 study programmes based on eight campuses in Ghent, Aalst and Melle. HOGENT counts 14,000 students and 1,800 members of staff, including over 200 researchers in national and international research projects. HOGENT offers unique study programmes in Wood Technology, Textile Technology and Fashion Technology.

The FTI-Lab (department of Fashion, Textiles and Wood Technology) has the mission to create imaginative solutions by connecting researchers, industry, students, designers, policy makers, end-users and academics to build resilient, inclusive, sustainable and innovating textile, fashion and wood processing industries, benefiting society as a whole.  

We do so by empowering the textile, fashion and wood processing industries to transform into a circular, bio-based and digitized industry. Furthermore, our facilities are a leading space for Open Innovation and Industrial Manufacturing Demonstration to prove production feasibility, accelerating ‘time-to-market’.

Our activities are focused on 3 areas:

1. Resources (greater use of EU-origin natural materials and improving their processing and application aspects; fibres and wood composites from alternative resources, e.g. waste, by-products, …
2. Technologies (digitized product development, manufacturing and value chains; process technologies to save resources and aiming and environmental neutrality)
3. Solutions/products (multi-functional materials, comfort and well-being by functional and smart products, customized products)