Coventry University invites West Midlands businesses to an Open Innovation Masterclass
Coventry University innovation village
Businesses in the West Midlands wanting to boost profits and expand into the global market by working together are being given a helping hand by Coventry University Enterprises (CUE Ltd), as it hosts an Open Innovation Masterclass on Tuesday 7 February 2012 from 9.00am to 1.30pm.
The masterclass is part of the i-UEN (Innovation – University Enterprise Network) project, which aims to support growth businesses in the West Midlands region in creating, developing and implementing new business opportunities through open innovation. The project is supported by almost £1 million from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and matched by Coventry University and private sector businesses.
The i-UEN project is designed so that large enterprises and SMEs can accelerate and increase the effectiveness of their innovation process, along with supporting large enterprises to drive up demand for their services and products through targeted collaborations.
Recently awarded the Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the 2011 Times Higher Education Awards, Coventry University has an impressive track record in business partnership working. The open innovation masterclass includes guest speakers from:
- O2 – Dr Mike Short, Vice President, Telefonica Europe
- Jaguar Land Rover – speaker to be confirmed
- Logica – Danny Wootton, Innovation Director
- National Physical Laboratory – Peter Benson, Knowledge Services
- Coventry University – Dr Brian More, Director of IP Services
- PERA – Eleanor Brown, Innovation Bid Writer
- Federation of Small Businesses – Dr Sami Ahmed, Regional Secretary for Warwickshire and Coventry
The masterclass is open to SME’s across the West Midlands region and will debate how to achieve more through open innovation, look at the drivers for collaboration, and aim to support participants looking to develop collaborative relationships to get their ideas or technology to market.
Dr Gideon Maas, Director at Coventry University’s Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship, said: “Statistics show that regionally only 55 per cent of West Midlands firms are considered ‘innovation active’, and with investment in research and development in the West Midlands also falling behind the UK average, it’s time to make some significant changes.
“The Network provides an easy and open route for businesses to work together, and we are particularly focused on facilitating new relationships and opportunities between large corporate organisations who would like to collaborate with SME partners. This masterclass is one of many opportunities for SMEs to gain valuable information and to network with local stakeholders.”
The masterclass will take place at Coventry University Technology Park at the ACT-UK Simulation Centre, Cheetah Road, Coventry, CV1 2TL.
For more information on the event or to book a place, please contact Louise Marjoram on 07974 984 283 or email: lmarjoram@cad.coventry.ac.uk