Knit e-pedia: about K4I

About the K4I project

K4I is an EU-funded project which will help SMEs in England to adapt to some of the challenges facing the textile industry. In an increasingly competitive global market, it is vital that companies continue to adapt and innovate, competing on functionality and distinctiveness rather than purely on price.

The project is split into two main initiatives - the development of the Knowledge Bank and the creation of the Industry Innovation Unit, a team of experts researching ways in which SMEs can take advantage of new technology and learn to innovate.

The Knowledge Bank is an online e-learning system which will enable companies to take advantage of the latest academic and technical knowledge. It is vital that staff are able to continue to develop their skills, but courses can be inflexible and expensive, something which the project will address.

The Knowledge Bank system will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week as a training resource for staff in all areas of the textile industry, allowing them to fit their study around work commitments. The information will be divided into modules making training highly targeted, and will also provide a quick reference tool with information on patents and legislation affecting textiles companies in the UK. The multidisciplinary nature of this training and the wealth of knowledge available make this learning tool unique. It is being developed in conjunction with a number of SMEs and larger companies, as well as academic experts, to provide the best possible service. The Knowledge Bank will be available free of charge, courtesy of the European Union's European Social Fund.

The K4I project is also focussing on developing working practices which will enable companies to develop their innovative capacity and benefit from more inclusive employment policies and technological advances. Following the research and consultation process, recommendations will be made to both companies and policy makers; and a mentoring process will be established to assist SMEs in improving their working practices and innovating.

The project is a trans-national one - the UK team are working closely with other project teams in Portugal and Italy, sharing knowledge and ideas to make each project as effective as possible.