Inaugural Innovation Week at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre

4th – 8th November at the University of Huddersfield's 3M Buckley Innovation Centre 

Innovation is at the heart of the work of the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre and this year sees the launch of its inaugural Innovation Week – to be held from Monday 4th to Friday 8th November.

As part of Innovation Week, there will be a series of events for businesses across the Leeds City Region looking to develop new products, increase productivity or disrupt their industry.

During the week, businesses across the region will have the opportunity to seek advice from industry professionals, including 3M and Siemens, around successful innovation and how to adopt innovative practices to generate profitable new products, processes and business models.

Visitors will also have access to academics and researchers from the University of Huddersfield to discuss potential collaboration and research opportunities, as well as have guided tours of technology and meeting room facilities.

The focal event, titled Business Innovation: How to create extraordinary value, will take place on Tuesday 5 November.  Opened by Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, the event will include keynote speakers from 3M and Siemens, as well as the Centre’s lead design and visualisation specialist, Paul Tallon, who will outline the principles of generative design linked to leading-edge additive manufacturing to help reduce waste and increase efficiency.

“Innovation should be part of every business’s growth strategy”

Sue Cooke, CEO, 3M BIC 

The event will incorporate a panel discussion with the key speakers and local businesses including Ionix AT, manufacturers of high-performance piezoelectric materials alongside regional technology transfer company, RTC North.

On Wednesday 6 November, a drop-in session will be run between 4pm and 7pm for businesses considering collaboration opportunities with the University of Huddersfield and the chance to speak to academics and researchers.  Experts will be available in the fields of data analytics, logistics and supply chain, technical textiles, product design, management and strategy, rail, computational fluid dynamics, applied microbiology, and media and spreadable marketing.

“Innovation should be part of every business’s growth strategy,” said the 3M BIC’s CEO, Sue Cooke.  “Without it, there’s the risk of being left behind as competitors leap ahead, developing new products or more streamlined and efficient processes.

“In times of uncertainty, we want to help businesses thrive and hope that Innovation Week attracts businesses across the Leeds City Region that see the potential in innovation and want to seek advice from those that excel at it, to those that can offer support and access to technology.”

Events taking place throughout the week include:

• 5 November – Business Innovation: How to Create Extraordinary Value, 12:30 to 15:30 – Book here.
• 6 November – University Research Showcase – Meet the Academics, 16:00 to 19:00 – Book here.
• 7 November – RTC North | Access Innovation- Understanding and meeting your customer needs, using the Business Model Canvas, 12:00 to 15:30 – Book here.
• 8 November – PAPI – Funded Innovation Workshop – 09:00 to 16:00 – Book here.

Bookings for an event during Innovation Week or for a guided tour can be found at the 3M BIC website.