You are warmly invited to this online symposium on Innovative Biomaterials in Design, which is being held as part of the Shemakes project. You can watch the symposium online, but if you wish to take part in the discussion with our guests, you will need to register using the form on our website.

Our guests will be joining us in a discussion about innovative biomaterials, widely considered to be the future of design. They comprise both international and local experts whose research and development work is focused on biomass, cellulose materials and biomaterials:

• Anastasia Pistofidou, from the IAAC Fab Lab Barcelona, Spain, will talk about the work of the Fab Textiles research lab and the Fabricademy, Textile and Technology open-source programme for innovation in the textile and clothing sector.
• Pirjo Kääriäinen, Associate Professor of Design and Materials at Aalto University, Finland, will discuss Chemarts, an interdisciplinary programme at the intersection of design and materials research.
• Lorena Trebbi, a Post-doc Researcher and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Planning, Design and Technology of Architecture at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, will present her work on biofabrication and the potential for implementing symbiotic processes between design and science.
• Dr Uroš Novak from the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana, Slovenia, will give a presentation on his research in the fields of bioplastics, biocomposites and zero-waste technologies. Dr Novak is also an activist who promotes a plastic-free lifestyle as part of the BioApp movement.
• Dr Mija Sežun and Dr Igor Karlovits from the Pulp and Paper Institute specialise in the optimisation of biomass use in production, as well as processes for bio-waste reduction, recycling and reuse.
• Matea Benedetti, Fashion Designer and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Design, Trzin, Slovenia, will tell us how her Benedetti Life fashion label, with its emphasis on sustainability, innovation and eco materials, was created.

The event will be held in English and is aimed at anyone with an interest in the use of biomaterials in design and sustainable development in the spirit of the Shemakes project, which seeks to empower women innovators in the textile and clothing sector.

Click here for more information about the program.