Leicester and Leicestershire have “distinctive innovation clusters that position the region for future growth”, according to the Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University (DMU), Professor Katie Normington.
Professor Normington, who also chairs the Leicestershire Innovation Advisory Group, was speaking today (Monday 9 March) at the launch of this year’s Leicestershire Innovation Festival 2026 at the Holiday Inn Leicester.
Addressing business leaders, entrepreneurs and regional partners, she highlighted the role innovation plays in strengthening businesses and driving economic growth.
She said: “Innovation is one of the clearest drivers of economic growth and productivity. When businesses innovate, whether through new products, smarter processes, better use of data or stronger partnerships, they become stronger, more resilient and more competitive.
“In Leicester and Leicestershire, we already have real capability across sectors such as life sciences, creative industries, advanced manufacturing and space technologies. The challenge, and the opportunity, is to connect those strengths and ensure businesses of all sizes can benefit from them.”
Now in its eighth year, Leicestershire Innovation Festival is an annual celebration of ideas, creativity and progress for organisations across Leicester and Leicestershire.
Led by the Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership, the festival launched with a focus on small business innovation ahead of ten events taking place throughout the week.
More than 98 per cent of businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire employ fewer than 50 people, with SMEs providing around 60 per cent of local jobs.
During her address, Professor Normington told delegates that when small businesses innovate and grow, the benefits extend across the wider regional economy.
Following the keynote, a fireside panel discussion brought together four local business leaders with strong records of innovation in their sectors:
- Gerry Boyce, Director, Hive Composites and Met-Ol
- Janie Morgan-Wood, Director, Frock Tales Ltd
- Craig Roberts, Business Manager, Cande Group
- Angela Orton, Director, Structural Adhesives
The panel shared insights on how small businesses can embed innovation within their organisations. Speakers discussed the steps they had taken to strengthen their people, processes and technology, and the impact these changes had delivered.
DMU's Vice-Chancellor Professor Katie Normington at the launch of the 2026 Leicestershire Innovation Festival
Key themes included the importance of collaboration with local universities, access to innovation funding and the need to invest in skills and emerging technologies. Panel members also highlighted the value of nurturing future talent through internships, placements and apprenticeships.
Janie Morgan-Wood, Director of Frock Tales, spoke about her collaboration with a DMU postgraduate programme that supports students into careers within the fashion industry.
Angela Orton, Director of Structural Adhesives, reflected on how collaboration with universities has supported her company’s approach to research and development.
She said: “I am a strong believer in collaboration, especially with academia. The first thing I did when I took over the business was reach out to the region’s universities.
“We are now two years into a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Leicester and I would highly recommend this approach. We need to tap into the expertise that is already there in our universities. As a small business, we cannot do everything ourselves. Working with them has been one of the biggest wins for our company.”
Angela also completed DMU’s Help to Grow: Management programme in 2022, which she said was “unbelievably brilliant” as well as recently receiving the King’s Award for Innovation for her work developing advanced adhesive technologies.
The launch marked the beginning of a week-long programme running from 9 to 13 March across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, celebrating the region’s growing innovation community.
Ten events have been organised to bring together entrepreneurs, industry experts and educators with a shared interest in research, productivity and collaboration.
Throughout the week, SME leaders will have the opportunity to access guidance on funding and business growth, discover new tools and technologies to enhance productivity, explore emerging finance options and build connections with businesses, investors and academic experts.
George Oliver, Managing Director of 1284 Communications, facilitated the event and said: “Listening to the panel, it was clear that the challenges and opportunities of small business R&D transcend industries and sectors.
“It was refreshing to hear such successful local businesses drill down into practical solutions they have found for successfully addressing common barriers around time, funding, skills, and risk.”
Several events are being delivered in partnership with the region’s three universities. These include a KTP workshop hosted by the Universities Partnership at Space Park Leicester on Friday 13 March, designed to help businesses access subsidised academic expertise to support innovation.
DMU works closely with regional partners to support innovation through research collaboration, KTPs and business support programmes such as Help to Grow: Management.
Businesses interested in taking part in festival events can explore the full programme and book their place online.
Posted on Monday 9 March 2026