The festival offers over 20 events looking at how local organisations can be more productive.
Leicestershire Innovation Festival launches today with an event at Loughborough University. It will culminate with the biggest ever LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards, held at National Space Centre on February 16.
The fortnight-long festival launches today and runs until Friday February 17. It includes events bringing together a host of organisations from business, industry, education, research, and non-profit sectors.
Entering its fifth year, the festival is led by Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP). This year’s programme of free events cover various themes, including:
Financing innovation projects in your organisation
Introducing easy-to-use productivity tools for startups
Increasing sustainability while reducing energy costs
Availability of Government programmes to stimulate innovation
Building dynamic and resilient workforces
Developing creative communities which support growth.
A festival preview event recently took place at the Eagle Labs Leicester at De Montfort University’s Innovation Centre.
Festival partner Barclays - which runs Eagle Labs - hosted local accountants, solicitors and other professional advisers wanting to learn more about progress being made on the local innovation agenda.
Guests were also invited to share links and information with clients running small businesses as part of the LLEP’s focus on increasing productivity across the city and county.
"We are continuing to develop the practical approach needed to achieve our goal of increasing the growth of the local economy at 5% ahead of the national average," said Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, Chair of the LLEP Innovation Board. "In January, the Innovation Board agreed a 10-point delivery plan for moving the agenda forward - the awards and festival are a big part of supporting that."
William Wells, Deputy Director of Research, Innovation and Impact at the University of Leicester (the festival's headline sponsor), said: "Universities play an important role in the innovation ecosystem, from incubating the latest technological advancements to providing the educational foundation for entrepreneurs.
"At the University of Leicester we are working to foster a culture of innovation that drives economic development in our local economy and globally. We recognise the importance of providing a comprehensive environment for learning, networking and creating new ideas.
"The Leicestershire Innovation Festival is an important part building, growing and supporting our community of innovators."
The flagship LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards returns for its fifth event at the National Space Centre on the evening of Thursday, February 16. Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Innovate UK, will provide the keynote speech as 32 finalists are introduced across 10 categories. Tickets for the awards are available now.
"We had a record number of nominations for 2023 and were up by about 15% year-on-year," said Adam Moss, editor of Leicestershire Live and the Leicester Mercury. "We are now looking forward to hearing from Indro, our sponsors and all of the finalists at the National Space Centre on February 16."
