Organisers of the fifth annual Leicestershire Innovation Festival 2023 say they hope it will be the biggest and best year.
The fortnight of events is due to take place in February with a focus on SMEs with “new to business” ideas which increase productivity.
The county’s Business Gateway Growth Hub is leading preparations for the festival with around 20 events planned.
Previous years have included discussions on businesses attaining net zero, funding opportunities, sustainable packaging and innovation in workplace health. Once again the LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards will take place during the fortnight on February 16 at the National Space Centre.
The Growth Hub is part-European funded and delivered by a partnership including Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Chamber and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).
Organisers said the 2022 festival attracted almost 1,000 registrations for 24 events.
Pharmaceutical entrepreneur Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, who chairs the LLEP Innovation Board, said: “The festival will showcase ideas that increase productivity and quality in small, mid-sized, and large organisations.
“People often think of Innovation as being about inventing things. But we also want to hear the stories of entrepreneurs who are making 'new to business' changes that can be made by anyone.”
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Helen Donnellan is pro-Vice Chancellor for regional business and innovation at festival sponsor De Montfort University and LLEP Innovation Board member.
She said: “Workplace innovation isn’t necessarily about specific teams working on future projects.
"Rather, the biggest business impact can come from simply questioning how things could be done better.
"This could be anything from how your business creates its products, to processes for how you operate or how you engage with customers."
The fifth LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards continues to be the festival’s flagship event - and nominations are open now across 10 regional sector-based categories.
LeicestershireLive editor Adam Moss said: “We never cease to be amazed by the standard of the nominations we receive, as they really do showcase what Leicestershire's best and brightest minds have to offer.
“I'm really looking forward to seeing this year's entries come in and know for a fact that our judges will have some very tough choices when they decide our winners for this year."
If you have a business idea for the festival e-mail Irshad.mulla@llep.org.uk.