04-09-2025
Paula Nabais, professor and researcher at the Department of Conservation and Restoration (DCR) and integrated member of the Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV) at NOVA FCT, has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant worth €1,499,697 to fund the SCARLET project over five years — a research initiative that promises to revolutionize the textile sector.
The SCARLET project focuses on the study of historical textile dyeing techniques, from the 15th to the 18th centuries, and the recovery of traditional practices, including the use of natural dyes, to develop sustainable solutions for today’s textile industry. By combining historical knowledge with scientific innovation, the project aims to reduce the ecological footprint of textile production, promote the sector’s sustainable transformation, and enhance Europe’s cultural heritage.
The project’s first phase will consist of an in-depth study of historical dyeing recipes from the 15th to the 18th centuries, originating from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, England, and France. These recipes will then be analyzed and reconstructed for sustainable and practical application. Among the tools to be developed, an online platform will make these historical recipes available in their contemporary interpretations, enabling the textile community — from businesses to artists — to explore the potential of natural dyes and traditional techniques.
Today, the textile industry faces major environmental challenges. This project directly addresses the sector’s gap in meeting the European Union’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by promoting natural solutions and a set of sustainable applications that can significantly reduce the ecological footprint of textile production.
In Portugal, the project will focus on the application and manipulation of color in three types of Portuguese wool — Merino, Bordaleira, and Churra. By concentrating on Portuguese wool, the research seeks to valorize a national heritage increasingly overlooked by the textile industry. Ultimately, SCARLET also aims to help revitalize the Portuguese textile sector through investment in national wool.
“This study recovers and enhances past knowledge of natural dyes used in historic textiles. By bringing together science, history, and art, the project opens new perspectives to understand our cultural heritage while offering sustainable solutions for the future of the textile community. Recovering historical recipes to create sustainable solutions for the present — that is the mission of SCARLET,” explains Paula Nabais, researcher at NOVA FCT.
This is the first ERC Grant awarded to Paula Nabais, an alumna of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs at NOVA FCT, the latter in Conservation and Restoration of Heritage. ERC Starting Grants are funding opportunities for early-career researchers, awarded to those who obtained their PhD between 2 and 7 years prior, with the aim of supporting innovative research projects. The grants are awarded for a period of five years and are funded by the European Commission – European Research Council.
