On the way for reaching 2013 targets for Turkish Textile export, design competitions are constantly held with the aim of integrating the universities in the process as well. Finals of Turkish Home Textile Design Competition which is one of the design competitions, increasing in number recently, will be organized by Uludağ Textile Exporters’ Association (UTIB). The deadline for application was announced to be 14 February 2014 for the competition to be held for the fourth time this year. The final where the designs and projects ranking the highest will be awarded will be held on 3 April 2014
Traditionalised by UTIB, R&D Project Market and Design Competition will be held in Bursa together with Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry in coordinatorship of Turkish Assembly of Exporters with the support of the Ministry of Economy. Information works by the Association included a series of promotion meetings made with the relevant departments of 12 universities. About 1000 students participated in the activities. Organising project market and design competitions separately, UTIB allows not only professionals and academicians but also students and self-employed entrepreneurs to express their opinions. While participants express their ideas concerning budget, target group, export and sales potential in all aspects as project in the activities; in the design competition, a new product is offered to the professionals with its final form.
Highest Ranked Projects Receive State Support
In the activity where numerous academicians, students and professionals at home and abroad, protective and military textiles, vehicle textiles, construction textiles, functional clothes, bathroom, towel, curtain, furnishings, carpet products etc. will be exhibited. 80 of the previously presented projects had received state support.
Making explanations about the competition, İbrahim Burkay, Chairman of UTIB, stated that the number of participants increased every year and the source of design and innovation was universities and added that: “We will meet creative ideas with industrialists. Turkey’s future is based on design, R&D and innovation, which are sourced by our universities. We try to support self-development of students. We meet them with industrialists by evaluating their creative ideas. As a result, these designs and projects turn into production and export.”
In the competition in which students and Professional participants can compete in four different categories that are bed, curtain, armchair and bathroom, number one, two and three of each category will be awarded a monetary prize of 7.500, 4.000 and 3.000 Turkish Liras, respectively while the most innovative product will bring a monetary prize of 10.000 Turkish Liras to its owner. In addition to the monetary prizes, as a special prize in the students category, a two-year foreign education opportunity will be provided in the field of design with the support of the Ministry of Economy.
