Festival of Innovation showcases Wales’ finest
An annual celebration of innovation and invention is set to return this June with a fortnight’s worth of events which will reveal the technological advances being made across Wales.
Organisations and businesses are signing up to take part in the fourth year of the Wales Festival of Innovation, which will run from June 19 to June 30.
Its aim is to provide communities in and beyond Wales with the chance to discover the wealth of ground-breaking work taking place across the country, and inspire others to do the same.
The event calendar will see a host of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, seminars, open days, conferences and other gatherings to display home-grown discoveries, capabilities and expertise.
While the festival will cover a diverse range of topics and industries, each event is designed to provide business people, students, academics and the general public, the chance to discover first-hand the leading edge work being developed by Welsh scientists, academics and entrepreneurs.
Each event held under the festival’s banner will be hosted by the individual organisations themselves.
The Wales Festival of Innovation is led by the ESTnet (the technology network for Wales) and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) with the support of industry partners and the Welsh Government.
Last year saw the festival break all previous records with over 60 events held across the length and breadth of the country.
Festival spokesperson Idris Price, who is also a director of ESTnet, said: “The Festival of Innovation returns with a clear goal to build on the unprecedented successes of 2016, to champion the unique culture of innovation that exists in every region in Wales.
“It is vital that we recognise and celebrate the Welsh expertise that is driving development in practically every industry sector. All too often the contributions made by Welsh businesses, universities and entrepreneurs are not given the credit they rightly deserve.
“We aim to showcase Wales as a first-choice location for investment by promoting the wealth of opportunities it offers for those looking to follow the examples set by those hosting events.”
This year will also see the Wales Technology Awards take place as part of the Festival of Innovation.
Taking place on June 22 at the Wales Millennium Centre, the awards are intended to shine a spotlight on the outstanding achievements made by Wales’ 3,110 technology companies and champion the sector’s role as a driving force for the Welsh economy.
The festival will also include the MediWales Connects conference, which is designed to highlight the work being carried out by the health and care communities in Wales.
The event, which takes place on June 21 at Cardiff ’s Mercure Holland House Hotel, is aimed at raising the profile of NHS Wales and clinical innovation across the UK and supporting closer working relationships between industry, NHS and research groups and clinical trials capabilities.
Businesses, universities and other organisations interested in hosting events as part of the 2017 Wales Festival of Innovation can register and make a submission by visiting www. festivalofinnovation.org/getinvolved.html