Energy, low carbon and finance in the spotlight

Organisers of Lancashire’s annual Innovation Festival have announced details of this year’s programme.

Hosted at the AMRC North West in Samlesbury on October 13, the event will again bring start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs from across the county together with innovation experts, universities, support agencies, and policymakers.

Successful entrepreneurs who have grown their businesses by being innovative and advisors from services like Boost, Innovate UK, and Access to Finance, will also be in attendance.

The event is being delivered in partnership with the British Business Bank and is supported by Lancashire County Council’s Innovate Lancashire initiative and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Innovation Board. 

It will have two central themes: energy and low carbon, and finance and funding.

AMRC North West and RedCAT technology hub in east Lancashire will lead on the energy and low carbon theme.

They will demonstrate how innovative interventions can help businesses reduce their energy usage and carbon footprint, while simultaneously boosting their productivity.

There will also be a series of discussion panels exploring the issue of sustainability, with contributions from chief executive of East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and the LEP’s low carbon lead, Miranda Barker.

Iain Martin, AMRC North West’s theme lead for low carbon smart buildings, will take delegates through the AMRC’s Low Carbon Smart Building Demonstrator, a facility which helps manufacturers reduce their emissions by retrofitting digital technologies onto legacy equipment and reimagining the traditional factory floor.

Delegates will also get the chance to tour the AMRC North West and discover more innovation-led solutions to the challenges of net zero. 

The afternoon’s discussions and presentations will be focused on finance.  Led by the British Business Bank’s North West senior manager Delyth Edwards, the first session will look at how it and other government-backed finance programmes, can support innovative Lancashire businesses looking to grow.

The British Business Bank recently announced details of its Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), a £660minvestment fund which will support the growth of SMEs across the North of England from early 2024.

This will be followed by sessions hosted by Innovate UK, and the new Lancashire Funding Hub, which will explore the wider funding and finance landscape.

This year’s festival will be introduced by Graham Baldwin, vice-chancellor of the University of Central Lancashire, and chair of the Lancashire Innovation Board.

He said: “The Lancashire Innovation Festival continues to go from strength to strength, and this year’s focus on finance, energy and low carbon highlights how it continues to address the issues which really matter to Lancashire businesses.

“I will also be taking the opportunity share with delegates details of the new Lancashire Innovation Plan and highlight some of the opportunities set to be offered by incoming projects like the National Cyber Force and Eden Project Morecambe.

“Further, I’ll be outlining how innovation doesn’t have to be high-tech, complicated, or expensive, to be commercially effective.”

The Lancashire Innovation Festival will run from 9am -4pm.Tickets are free but limited, and you can register at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lancashire-innovation-festival-2023-tickets-694753124297