LEEDS - Nonwovens consultancy, the Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute (NIRI) is now offering clients a ‘plug-in’ approach to R&D, through their novel NIRI Accelerator.

The approach is designed to support businesses to get products to market faster by streamlining product development through shared expertise and effective collaboration.

NIRI assigns an Innovation Partner to a client’s development team whose primary task is to manage the communication channels and accelerate innovation across multiple projects and programmes. Through the Innovation Partner, the customer has full access to NIRI’s prototyping capability and support from NIRI’s 40-plus team of textile scientists and engineers.

Facilities available to companies through the Accelerator include a full range of state-of-the-art prototyping equipment, covering fibre and filament, drylaid, wetlaid, spunmelt, nanofibre and bonding. NIRI’s comprehensive analytical services include fabric structure, fibre and surface analysis; chemical, thermal and filtration properties; hygiene testing and liquid transport, as well as physical testing facilities for fibres, yarns and fabrics.