“Innovative Natural Fiber-based Products: Key Challenges, New Technologies and Future Prospects” was the theme of the lecture, and Raul Fangueiro took the opportunity to show, via the many Fibrenamics projects, how does the knowledge of natural fibers transfer to the market from innovative projects or products.

The invitation came directly from the government of the Kerala region in southern India, which runs a research center in the area of ​​coconut fiber. This is a very strong area in this type of fiber, as a resource that translates into several applications. Taking into account the work developed by the Fibrenamics platform in the scope of natural fibers, namely the organization of the event “International Conference on Natural Fibers” (ICNF), it led to Professor Raul Fangueiro being invited to share the entire experience of the Fibrenamics platform in the scope natural fibers, not only coconut fiber, but also in a more generalized way.

In the view of the platform coordinator, the objective was fulfilled: “I think that I managed to send an interesting message, a message that natural fibers have a great potential for application, that there are interesting challenges to be associated with natural fibers, and that this generated knowledge can be converted into value-added products. ” In the audience were students, researchers, and companies since, in parallel to this international seminar, there was also an exhibition and trade fair for the trading of coconut fiber products.

This initiative, along with many others in which Raul Fangueiro has participated, has demonstrated the innovative vision that Fibrenamics has worldwide. “This dynamic that was printed at Fibrenamics is beginning to be known in various parts of the globe, and the particular case of this invitation is based on this. It is a model that is interesting and there is a lot of motivation to replicate it in various locations around the globe. We all say that there is a need for a strong relationship between universities and companies, but the operationalization of this is always very complicated”, ensures the platform coordinator. Fibrenamics intends to take as a message the good practices it already develops in this field, having every interest in replicating them, so much so that there are already advanced negotiations in order to transfer this knowledge to other research centers as well, other groups that want to work with the same philosophy.

This was yet another successful international participation by Fibrenamics and that in the words of Raul Fangueiro, “we hope that things will start to be implemented along the same lines (in India) and that there will be the results that we have had here too, and that we can also contribute to that implementation in other parts of the world ”.