Coming together for the IAB meeting with our community is one of the most gratifying and motivating events that we organize,” said Raoul Farer, Ph.D., Executive Director of NWI. “The Spring meeting is always very special as it lines up with the end of the semester and graduation, and because we use the meeting to review, discuss and select the new projects that we will start funding in the Fall. Dr. Farer led his first IAB meeting after assuming the role of the Institute’s Executive Director at the beginning of the year.

Kicking off the meeting by welcoming the extensive attendance across Membership, Dr. Farer highlighted upcoming training and facility trial opportunities for Member companies and highlighting the recent addition of the Hills LBS-330 Lab Scale Bicomponent Melt Extrusion Unit which was recently commissioned in the Fiber Spinning Lab and is available for both academic and commercial research and development activities.  Read more at:  https://thenonwovensinstitute.com/nwi-adds-capabilities-for-rapid-research-development/  Dr. Farer also announced an exciting new HydroCharging capability based on Oerlikon technology to be added to NWI’s Meltblown Lab later this year.

NWI Student Awards

The meeting continued with the presentation of “Best Paper” awards for outstanding work presented at the prior Fall IAB meeting in November 2025.   Shyam Atri, Morgan Gilbert, Narjess Hajilou and Anicah Smith O’Brien were each recognized for their accomplishments.  “It was a pleasure for the IAB to honor these outstanding students for their work,” said Executive Committee Chair Bryan Haynes, Ph.D., Senior Technical Director for Global Nonwovens at Kimberly-Clark Corporation who presented the awards.

Research Project Presentations and Review

After the awards program, the IAB meeting entered into the portion of the program most appreciated by member companies; presentation of 19 research projects led by NWI graduate student researchers who are pursuing doctoral degrees in fields relevant to nonwovens.

Projects focused on NWI’s research thrust areas of Engineered Structures, Materials, Extrusion, Modeling and Sustainability. These research categories are identified and managed through a collaboration between NWI, participating faculty and the institute’s Strategic Scientific Advisory Board (SSAB), which is made up of senior technical representatives from several NWI member companies. “I found the student research presentations, seeing the work they are doing and the chance to ask questions and interact to be the best part of the meeting,” said one attendee.

“NWI is unique in that it is the world’s first and only accredited academic program for the interdisciplinary study of engineered fabrics,” said Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., Director Emeritus of the Institute. “NWI engages industry, government and academia to enable next-generation nonwoven solutions to mission-critical challenges, and the IAB is our semi-annual meeting where the consortium’s stakeholders join together to consider the status, findings and future direction of the institute’s research projects.”

Upon completion of the research presentations, NWI member companies participated in the Research Project Review segment of the meeting, where the findings of each project were considered and progress was evaluated. The feedback generated here provided valuable industry perspective to inform next steps for each project. Also, this segment of the meeting finalized voting to determine winners of the NWI student awards which will be presented at the next IAB meeting (November 10-11, 2026).

Principal Investigator Proposal Pitch Session

As the end of the first day approached, the meeting transitioned to a more relaxed venue at the Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse on NC State’s Centennial Campus.  Five professors representing NCSU and NWI-affiliated universities discussed their ideas for future research programs which ranged from novel new materials for nonwovens production to the application of new technologies to address several big-ticket issues confronting modern society. Attendees found these sessions to be valuable and the proposals will be assessed by the membership and the Strategic Scientific Advisory Board for pursuit in the next academic year.

Networking Reception

The IAB wrapped up its first day with its networking reception, where attendees enjoyed food, drink and conversation with their industry peers, NWI staff, student researchers and supporting faculty. It was a fitting way to unwind after a successful Day 1 amid wonderful views of the Raleigh skyline from the Terrace at NCSU’s Lonnie Poole Golf Course on a lovely spring evening.

Member Presentations

New member Qnity Electronics (NYSE: Q) presented an overview of their business and presence in the nonwovens space.  Qnity is a recent spin-off from duPont but with a long heritage in the semiconductor business. Qnity partners with customers at the cutting edge of technology to enable breakthroughs across AI, advanced computing, and advanced connectivity between and within next-generation devices.   In the nonwovens space, Qnity’s proprietary nonwovens technologies make the company a global leader in polishing pads, slurries and application expertise for chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) serving the semiconductor chip manufacturing industry and other advanced substrate polishing applications. 

Student Poster Sessions

The IAB meeting also featured an opportunity for attendees to interact one-on-one with students through posters presented by all students pursuing projects related to nonwovens. The student poster session featured more than 25 posters including students just beginning their research and provided the opportunity for more detailed discussion, inquiry and mentorship amongst the students and commercial / academic experts.  A number of connections were built here between students and industry that will benefit the students’ work going forward.

Members Meeting

The semi-annual IAB Business meeting for members closed out the Spring IAB with a discussion on a variety of topics including assessment of the research programs presented earlier, selection of Best Paper Awards, and selection of new research topics based on the PI pitches from the prior evening.  With all business attended to, Dr. Farer adjourned the Spring meeting with sincere appreciation to the members and their organizations for their dedication and willingness to provide the “sweat equity” needed to sustain the Institute. 

NWI Lab Tour

Following the adjournment of the formal meeting, NWI’s Director of Product Development, Dr. Mehmet Dasdemir, led a tour of the Institute’s state-of-the-art nonwoven fabrication and testing labs showcasing both lab-scale and large pilot-scale systems, as well as NWI’s extensive analytical and filtration testing facilities.   These resources are available for the academic community, NWI members (at a discounted rate) and the industry at large for use in research and development.  The larger spunbond/hydroentanglement and meltblown lines are also available for business incubation and commercial early new-product launch though NWI’s affiliated non-profit – LINC.  http://www.lincnonwovens.com

The IAB will meet again November 10-11, 2026 on the Centennial Campus of NC State University. If you are a current NWI member, please save the date!  If you’re not yet a member, consider the many benefits including participating in these dynamic meetings and join us!  https://thenonwovensinstitute.com/for-members/

You may reach out to Jimei Wang to register for upcoming IAB activities or for membership information at  jwang41@ncsu.edu or +1 919-515-6582.