51Âþ»­

This week marks the start of Leicestershire Innovation Festival, two weeks celebrating the very best of innovations, inventions and new ideas helping businesses thrive.

51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) is one of the sponsors of the event, celebrating those who are innovating as well as hosting events showcasing the university’s support for business.

THUMB pic helen LIF

At the launch held at Leicester’s Space Park Helen Donnellan 51Âþ»­’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, Regional Business and Innovation, said: “The message we want to send is that anyone can innovate. We sometimes think that it is a technical skill.

“If you are working with something new, doing something differently in order to make a difference in your business, you are innovating.

“51Âþ»­ is innovating its own skills offer to make it work for business, piloting short courses in digital and data and that aim to make upskilling more accessible for learners and employers. We are bringing innovation and entrepreneurial thinking to students by embedding it in our modules, and pairing students with city companies to show them the graduate opportunities that exist.

“We are delighted to be a part of the Innovation Festival and to help showcase all the great work happening in Leicester and Leicestershire.”

The launch featured success stories such as Cenex and Intelligent Energy and their plans for hydrogen fuel cell technology, as well as funding advice from Innovate UK and an outline of the Midlands Engine’s green growth plans.

LIF launch pic

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, chair of the Leicestershire Innovation Board and founder of Morningside Pharmaceuticals in Loughborough, said innovation was open to businesses of all sizes, and that Leicestershire’s economy was largely built upon SMEs.

He said: “That’s really important because if we are talking about innovation then we need to look at our target audience.

“Innovation is really about anything that you do in your business on a day to day basis, that continuously improves your productivity, efficiency and creates new jobs.”

51Âþ»­ is hosting three events as part of the festival:

Tuesday 22 February – Design 101: How prototyping works  

Do you have an idea for a new product, but don’t know how to design it? 51Âþ»­’s Design Unit has worked with hundreds of companies to help them with ideas that need development, or existing products that need revamping.

We’ll also share how companies can access money off the design process and answer your questions. If you have an idea, or you want to know how to work with a design team, then do come along – we’d love to see how we can help you.

Thursday 24 February - Technical Innovation to Support High Quality Care

51Âþ»­’s Digital Health Team teams up with Willows Health, Medicspot and Medilink for an insight into how digital health has driven innovations in GP appointments and healthcare, improving patient care.

 

Friday 25 February – Cut your Carbon Footprint

51Âþ»­ and the University of Leicester will show businesses how they can find out their carbon footprint and take steps to reduce it – free. We will be explaining the free support on offer for companies who want to decarbonise their businesses.