Interstellar insights to put businesses light-years ahead
Space technology expertise is easier to access than ever before – that’s the message from Leicester’s crew of scientists and business experts, as they prepare to make a giant leap to Hong Kong for the GREAT Festival of Innovation on 24 March.
Established to showcase the UK’s creativity and leadership across a host of industry and education sectors, the Festival, taking place 21-24 March 2018, focuses on how innovation, technology and creativity will change the way we work, live, learn and play in the years to come.
Leicester’s own aspiring astronaut Dr Suzie Imber (pictured), winner of 2017’s Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? TV series on the UK’s BBC2, will be inviting attendees to ‘step into our world’. She will be telling the story of the University’s 50-year-plus history of delivering the science and engineering which has enabled space exploration through the model satellites on display, while also discussing her own role in ESA’s BepiColombo mission to Mercury.
Find out more about Leicester fifty-years-plus of space science:
Visitors will get to experience a virtual reality trip amongst the stars, with Dr Imber as their guide to the space technologies that Leicester uses to learn more about our universe and the planet we live on. They will even get to take the experience home with them in their mobile phone.
Scientists and business expertise from the University will be on hand to demonstrate the unique and surprising ways in which businesses can engage with space research from UK institutions. Professor Paul Monks, Head of the College of Science and Engineering, will illustrate how Leicester is working to deal with the challenge of cybersecurity for a panel discussion (24 March), while Dr Imber will explore our future in space in panel discussions on ‘Democratising Space’ (22 March) and ‘Space Innovation’ (24 March).
There will be opportunities to consider more earthly concerns as representatives from the School of Business will be demonstrating the value of upskilling your workforce with the University’s world-respected MBA degree and its brand new Masters courses in Innovation Management in Organisations and Entreneurship. The University will also be reaching out to its worldwide community of alumni with a reception to launch the new University of Leicester Hong Kong alumni community. It will be a chance for them to reflect on their place in Leicester’s history as its upcoming Centenary celebrations look towards its future.
For more information please visit http://great.gov.uk/innovation or follow the hashtag #GREATinnovation.