ITM at the 64th Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress

The Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress (GFC) took place at the Kulturhaus Dornbirn from September 10 to 12, 2025. The traditional event is regarded as the world's leading platform for fiber and textile innovations and once again brought together numerous international experts from industry, research and development. Over 100 presentations and a large number of impulses from companies, start-ups and scientific institutions underlined the growing importance of the congress as a generator of ideas and networks for the industry.

The program spanned 2.5 days and covered a broad spectrum of current topics. The focus was on innovative protective clothing and workwear with smart functionalities, solutions for decarbonization through the use of biomass, recycling and carbon capture technologies as well as innovative fibre materials and applications made from biopolymers, natural fibres or nonwovens. The cross-sectional session, which linked textile innovations with other industrial sectors such as energy, paper and packaging, also played a special role.

The ITM also presented its latest research findings at the conference. Our contributions highlighted key topics at the interface between materials science and application:

• Liquid Crystal Elastomer Fibers for Application in Soft Robotics and Medical Technology (L. Benecke)

• Scalable and Sustainable Multifilament Spinning of Biopolymers and Structural Proteins (P. Schyra)

• Investigation of Photopolymers for Reactive Spinning (E. Sommer)

Visitors also found 25 important companies from the fiber industry in the exhibition area.

The ITM presented its diverse research expertise at the accompanying exhibition stand. The focus was on current developments in the fields of fibre and yarn technology, textile chemistry, functionalization and finishing. The stand offered a valuable platform for personal exchange with trade visitors from science and industry.

We would like to thank you for the great interest, the inspiring discussions and the numerous new ideas and look forward to future projects and collaborations with confidence.