The 15th annual RISE® conference will bring industry and academia together in a forum for science, innovation and collaboration in engineered fabrics.
TW Special Report
The 15th RISE™ — Research Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics — conference is set to take place October 14-15, 2025. The two-day event, co-organized by the Cary, N.C.-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) and The Nonwovens Institute, will take place at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center on the NC State campus, Raleigh, N.C.
RISE focuses on emerging technologies and ideas with the aim of connecting innovations with real-world applications for professionals in the nonwoven/engineered fabrics industry.
Speakers included experienced industry, government and academic personnel.
While the event is created by a nonwovens organization, topics and focus areas stretch beyond nonwovens with a large focus on materials science. There definitely are reasons to attend for those who do not work exclusively in the nonwovens industry.
Key topics covered at RISE include:
- Recycling methods, raw materials alternatives and circular economy;
- Biobased/hybrid fibers and natu-ral-synthetic blends;
- Innovations in coatings, additives and adhesives; and
- Enzyme technology and the biodegradation processes. Speakers from Nova Institute,
Total Corbion, Fibroline, Gottlieb Binder, CJ Biopolymers, Bast Fibers, Keel Labs, Hills Inc. and INDA, among other companies are commit-ted to speak during this year’s event. Please visit the RISE website for the full conference lineup and schedule.
On Monday, October 13, a day ahead of the conference, there is a golf tournament starting at noon at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course on the NC State campus. The conference also is offering tours of NWI from 3-5 p.m. at the conclusion of the conference proceedings on October 15.
RISE® Innovation Award, Research Posters
Nominations have already concluded for the RISE® Innovation Award, which honors innovation in nonwovens that solve problems and meet unmet needs. The top three nominations as selected by an INDA Technical Advisory Board (TAB) will present their technologies during the RISE conference. The winner is determined by votes cast by TAB, the affiliated Conference Committee and attendees at RISE, with each group’s votes carrying equal weight. All votes are tallied during the conference and the winner is presented with the award before the end of RISE. Last year’s winner was Hempitecture Inc. for its PlantPanel™ product (See “From Hemp Farm To House Frame: The Hempitecture Story,” TW,, this issue).
An evening reception, to be held from 5-6 p.m. on October 14, will allow attendees to view current research work of graduate students who are enrolled in a variety of non-woven, textile and fiber programs as well as corporate research posters.
Pre-RISE® Webinar
On Thursday, October 2, INDA will host a preconference webinar on the topic “Enhancing Softness and Loft in Nonwoven Fabrics.” The presentation — featuring ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Co.’s Dr. Paul E. Rollin Jr., senior principal scientist – Global Hygiene, and Thomas Cugnon, Hygiene Market Development Lead, Europe — will explore the role of ExxonMobil’s Vistamaxx™ performance polymers in softness including approaches to achieving a high-loft feel.
“What I’ve really come to enjoy about RISE is that it is one of the few places where you can find a blend of scalable academic and independent lab research side-by-side with fresh to the market industrial innovations,” said Dr. Matt O’Sickey, director of Education & Technical Affairs, INDA. “Observing how this mix fosters cross-pollination and synergies in the fiber, engineered fabrics, and nonwoven space is invigorating.”
Make plans to attend this year’s RISE conference and participate in this unique forum where research, innovation and commercialization really do intersect. The conference showcases what’s next, but also fosters collaboration and helps accelerate ideas.
For more information about RISE®, please visit riseconf.net.
2025 Quarterly Issue III
