Nanyang technological unibersity, which has steadily been expanding since its 2011 founding, is establishing an international consortium to develop materials and processes for sporting goods products. Founding members of the NTU's Innovative Composites for Sports Products are tennis racquet maker Babolat of France, Twaiwan bike maker Topkey, advanced materials giant Arkema and composite company Chomarat, both of France. The consortium, which will jointly develop new carbon composite materials, parts design and mannufacturing technology, intends to partner with industry engineers to develop sports equipment, footwear and apparel and the university's Insititute for Sports Research.
ISR's involvement to date has included the development of the "Infini" range of compression garments for Skis Rossignol's cross-country line and partnerships with TaylorMade, Sumitomo Rubber, Quicksilver, Russian sporting goods retailer Sportmaster and several international sports federations. The institute, which intends to have 80 researchers and staff on board by year-end, is funded by Singapore's Economic Development Board and NTU. It currently has 26 R&D projects completed or ongoing with 15 sporting goods industry partners.
