A universe of opportunity showcased at GREAT Festival
We brought a small taste of Leicester to Hong Kong in March and opened up a whole universe of opportunity for Asia’s education and business community.
As one of the higher education institutions represented at the four-day GREAT Festival of Innovation, organised by the UK’s Department for International Trade, Leicester was there to guide fellow business and education leaders from across Asia through the exciting possibilities of space-enabled technology.
Established to showcase the UK’s creativity and leadership across a host of industry and education sectors, the Festival focused on how innovation, technology and creativity will change the way we work, live, learn and play in the years to come.
Day four of the Festival on 24 March was themed around learning and education and our External Relations staff and scientists, including winner of the BBC’s Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? Dr Suzie Imber, showcased Leicester’s world-leading research in space science, technology and engineering.
Our virtual reality headsets proved extremely popular with around 200 headsets taken home by guests. They provided our visitors with an immersive space experience as well as an insight into Leicester’s contributions to space research and technology.
Visitors were also interested to hear more about the development of Space Park Leicester and particularly delighted to meet Dr Suzie Imber and enjoyed listening to her interview with Ortis Deley. She also took to the stage to speak on the Space Innovation panel, joined by Professor Paul Monks, Head of our College of Science and Engineering, who chaired the session. The discussion was thought-provoking and engaging, exploring how space pervades our life and how we can use new ideas and approaches to innovate in space. Professor Paul Monks was also a panellist on the Global Warning session later in the day, exploring the potential impact of over-reliance on cyber services
Watch the video below to find out more:
In advance of the main event, on 23 March almost 100 guests came together for an alumni drinks reception at The Excelsior where the University officially launched the Hong Kong Alumni Community. The atmosphere was lively and conversation flowed freely over the evening. Our guests had a fantastic night engaging with fellow alumni and senior representatives from the University, including Dr Suzie Imber, Dr Peter Rodgers, Professor Paul Monks and Bill Friar. Alumni were given an exclusive viewing of our centenary video, which created a sense of nostalgia and gave our distance learning graduates a chance to see how the University has developed over the last 100 years, and our plans for future campus developments.