e-FLOWER

Four-year Horizon Europe project will develop flexible, durable and circular e-textiles combining advanced materials, scalable manufacturing and user-centred design

Funded through the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, e-FLOWER brings together 12 partners from seven EU countries and one associated country to develop advanced materials, manufacturing processes and electronic components for stretchable and conformable e-textiles. Led by the Tyndall National Institute, the €5 million Research and Innovation Action will run from June 2026 to May 2030.

Electronic textiles, or e-textiles, combine textiles with technologies such as sensors, energy harvesting, energy storage and communications. They have potential applications across fitness, wellbeing, healthcare and lifestyle, but their wider adoption is currently limited by challenges including rigid components, loss of performance under repeated deformation, complex integration, and environmental impacts associated with manufacturing and end-of-life.

e-FLOWER – Transformational e-Textiles: Materials and Processes for Stretchable, Durable and Sustainable Wearable Electronics – aims to address these challenges through a holistic approach spanning materials, manufacturing, electronics, circularity and user experience.

Project objective

e-FLOWER proposes a multidisciplinary approach to develop the next generation of eco-designed, conformable, and sustainable e-textiles, integrating Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles with innovations in materials, processes, and system integration. By combining bio-based polymers, functional materials, and resource-efficient printing manufacturing, the project aims to overcome the current limitations of flexible and wearable electronics, while targeting TRL 6 by project end.

e-FLOWER's ambition is to resolve both technological and environmental barriers by creating robust, durable, and recyclable e-textiles that combine performance, comfort, inclusiveness, and circularity. Novel bio-derived interposers, adhesives, inks, and encapsulants will be synthesised and tailored for stretchability, reversibility, and recyclability, enabling modular designs that facilitate reuse, repair, and recovery of valuable materials. Energy-efficient fabrication methods such as 3D- and screen- printing will be optimised to reduce the environmental footprint, while new classes of sensors, antennas, energy harvesters, and storage devices will be designed specifically for textile integration.

e-FLOWER directly addresses the scope of the “Discover IAM for novel health electronic applications” call, supporting the objectives of Cluster 4 – Advanced Materials for Green and Digital Transitions. It also aligns with the European Clothing Action Plan, the EU Industrial Strategy, and the recommendations of the Draghi report, reinforcing the resilience and competitiveness of the European textile value chain.

Through its eco-innovation, modularity, and circularity strategies, e-FLOWER will deliver scalable and sustainable e-textile solutions with applications in fitness, wellbeing, and beyond, demonstrating a clear pathway towards greener, smarter, and more competitive European industries.