Despite the economic crisis, Greek textile and clothing industrial activities persist in contributing to employment and exports. In order to face the challenges of modern global economic environment, novel products with high added value are strongly required. Within this concept, ChromaSurf brings into collaboration laboratories belonging to two different research organizations possessing strong background on synthesis/modification of functional polymers and on characterization of materials/surfaces (namely, the University of Patras and FORTH/ICEHT respectively) as well as three industrial partners that are specialized on cotton products, knitwear and dyeing (SOULIS-Kuehnis, ELVIFA and KOLORA, respectively) and finally one laboratory dedicated to testing and certification of industrial and consumer products (MIRTEC). The main target is to develop coatings by depositing aqueous solutions of suitably designed multifunctional polymers in order to chemically modify surfaces used in the industrial textiles, focusing mainly on cotton substrates. The most ambitious goal is an integrated strategy solution that enables the adaptation of the new knowledge into the production process leading to innovative products with novel / improved features and high added value which can be exploited by the industries involved in the project. The proposed polymers will have at least three functions: a) charge inversion of the cellulosic substrate using cationic groups, b) covalent attachment to the cotton surface using reactive groups (epoxide, vinylbenzyl chloride) and c) water solubility, so that the chemical modification of the cellulosic surfaces can be carried out in aqueous systems; a requirement particularly desirable for both economic and environmental reasons. The main innovation sought is the use of polymeric pre-treatments of cotton substrates, mainly cotton yarns, so that after their weaving, a graduated dyeing capacity will be achieved by immersion in a single dyeing bath. Furthermore, ChromaSurf sets out a series of ambitious targets, such as optimization of polymers and cotton surface modification processes (to control dye uniformity, optimize chemical modification efficiency and dyeability), expansion of  polymer modifiers in the direction of natural polymers (chitin, chitosan), demonstration of new functions such as biostatic action and the extension of dyeing applications using alternate categories of dyes. The project is clearly divided in work packages, tasks and deliverables, with a rational allocation to the co-operating partners. More specifically, based on both synthetic and naturally-derived polymers selected families of cationic polymeric modifiers for cotton substrates will be synthesized. The newly synthesized polymers will be used to optimize the processes for the surface modification and the dyeing protocols of cotton substrates with reactive dyes, as well as with non-typical for cotton substrates dyes, such as acid or dispersion dyes. Through the optimization of cotton yarns’ surface coating protocols, the thorough surface characterization of pre-treated cotton yarns and the results of their preliminary dyeing tests, the selection of the cationic polymers for the treatment of cotton yarns on a pilot scale will be achieved. Subsequently, the production of knitted fabrics from one type of yarns or alternatively surface treated yarns will be undertaken and the fabrics will be dyed in a single dyeing bath in order to obtain a uniform or scalable hue, respectively. Additional action, such as biocidal ability will be also evaluated. Particular emphasis will be given to the characterization and evaluation of the products in terms of their environmental footprint, targeting the design of environmentally acceptable or friendlier processes and products. The pursuit of the industrial collaborators will be the economic/commercial exploitation of the innovative products of the project, primarily through international exhibitions.