About the Competition

A pioneering national initiative to revive the Syrian textile industry by integrating technology with heritage, empowering young people and startups to transform their ideas into viable projects.

Competition Objectives

• • Encourage innovation and creativity and support startups in the textile sector and related fields.
• • Revive the textile industry by integrating technology with heritage.
• • Stimulate entrepreneurial spirit and link educational outputs with labor market needs.
• • Find practical solutions to challenges facing the textile industry locally and internationally.
• • Enhance cooperation between universities and the industrial sector through implementable projects.
• • Create sustainable job opportunities in the textile sector.
• • Attract local and international investors and buyers.
• • Open local and international marketing horizons through the NASTEX 2026 international textile exhibition.

Innovation Fields

• • Modern and regenerative agriculture technologies related to the textile sector (precision agriculture for cotton and flax, production of organic textile fibers, sustainable silk farms)
• • Fabric design and production (high-performance fabrics, smart fabrics, environmental and sustainable fabrics)
• • Fashion and clothing design (modern or heritage fashion lines with modern production methods, sustainable clothing, smart fashion, specialized functional clothing)
• • Home furnishings and textiles design (innovative designs for carpets, curtains and covers, multi-functional furnishings, integrating Syrian heritage elements in a modern style)
• • Medical textile industry (sterilized medical fabrics, high-quality surgical and protective clothing, innovative medical textile dressings and products)
• • Reviving textile heritage with technology (digitization of historical patterns and decorations, combining traditional threads with modern materials, reproducing heritage decorations, designing heritage products with a contemporary touch for global markets)
• • Production technologies and industrial innovation (3D printing technologies in fabric manufacturing, environmentally friendly dyeing techniques, combining natural and synthetic fibers to obtain enhanced properties)
• • Textile machinery design and production (fast and energy-efficient production lines, robots and automated systems, environmentally friendly machines, flexible machines for custom production, improving maintenance and reliability)
• • Supply chain and marketing solutions in the textile sector (integrated digital platforms, specialized e-commerce, data analytics and smart supply chains, experimental and creative marketing, advanced logistics solutions)
• • Any other field related to the textile sector.

Target Categories

Application Requirements

• • The idea or project must be directly related to the textile sector or related fields.
• • The project must provide added value in terms of innovation, sustainability, or economic feasibility.
• • Applications can be submitted individually or in teams (up to 5 members), with the team leader and contact representative required.
• • An executive summary and business model must be submitted showing the implementation mechanism and expected impact.
• • Commitment to participate in training, incubation, and evaluation phases.
• • Submit all work on time according to the official timeline.
• • Judging committees reserve the right to exclude any project that does not comply with ethical or legal standards or does not meet competition conditions.
• • The participant retains intellectual property rights to their content unless a subsequent adoption/investment agreement states otherwise; licensing or agreement options with sponsors are clearly presented before any signing.
• • The official language for submission is Arabic (an English copy is required for teams wishing to present to international investors).

Prizes

Judging Committees

Judging committees consist of a diverse group of experts to ensure fair and balanced evaluation of each project. The committee includes representatives from:

• • Universities: Specialists in fashion design and textile engineering
• • Industrial sector: Owners and managers of textile facilities
• • Investment and entrepreneurship
• • International partners and sponsors
• • Community sector and social impact

The committee works on evaluating ideas, reviewing projects, conducting technical interviews, and approving final results within a clear and transparent methodology.

Evaluation Criteria

Projects are evaluated through a set of basic criteria that cover competition stages from registration to finals, including:

• • Clarity of the idea and its alignment with competition fields
• • Level of innovation and excellence
• • Feasibility and development potential
• • Economic feasibility and sustainability
• • Social and environmental impact
• • Quality of presentation and delivery

Institutional Partnerships

The "Future Alnassaj" competition relies on strategic partnerships that bring together the public and private sectors to support the innovation system in the textile sector.

The sponsorship of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Economy and Industry gives the competition institutional strength that ensures professional implementation of its phases, enhances its credibility with the academic and industrial community, and opens the way for participants to reach real opportunities for development and investment.

Competition Phases

Expected Outputs

• • Implementable entrepreneurial projects in the textile sector and related fields.
• • Enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship culture.
• • Linking university and institute outputs with national and international industry.
• • Participation of student projects in the NASTEX 2026 international textile exhibition.

Expected Impact of the "Future Alnassaj" Competition

The "Future Alnassaj" competition is expected to contribute to creating an annual national platform for entrepreneurship and innovation in the textile sector, serving as an incubator to transform entrepreneurial ideas and innovative initiatives into applicable and marketable projects. It will also work on:

• 1. Empowering entrepreneurs and startups by providing technical, financial, and marketing support.
• 2. Enhancing Syria's position as a regional center for creativity and innovation in the textile sector, in line with global trends towards sustainability and the circular economy.
• 3. Opening new horizons for export and international partnerships that contribute to supporting the national economy.
• 4. Contributing to reviving and developing the Syrian textile industry through the integration of modern technology and the historical heritage of the industry.

Thus, the competition forms a real lever for sustainable economic growth in a sector that is one of the traditional and promising pillars of the national economy.