Space Park Leicester to host major event as part of inaugural East Midlands Tech Week 2026
Space Park Leicester will play a leading role in the inaugural East Midlands Tech Week (EMTW), a brand-new regional festival celebrating innovation, collaboration, and cutting-edge technology.
Running from 15–19 June 2026, EMTW will unite some of the region’s most pioneering organisations and brightest minds across five days of headline and fringe events designed to spotlight the East Midlands as a powerhouse for technology and innovation.
On Thursday 18 June, Space Park Leicester will host the Data and Space Tech event as part of the festival’s “Space City” day. The session will bring together leading industry experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs to explore how space-enabled data, research, and innovation are transforming industries and fuelling regional growth.
William Wells, Chief Executive Officer of Space Park Leicester, said: “East Midlands Tech Week is an exciting new platform to celebrate the region’s growing tech community. We’re proud to host part of the festival here at Space Park Leicester – bringing together brilliant minds, bold ideas, and inspiring partnerships from across the region.”
The morning session will be held at the National Space Centre, highlighting the city’s position as a hub of UK space innovation. Throughout the day, delegates will hear from businesses, academics, and policymakers shaping the future of the space and data economy, with discussions on satellite applications, AI integration, and opportunities for commercial growth in the sector.
Freemen’s Common on the University of Leicester campus will be the location for a Med Tech event focussing on discussing the technology advancement and specialisms within the regional Med Tech Community, alongside promoting supply chain opportunities.
Professor Tom Robinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Life Sciences at the University of Leicester, said: “Universities are key regional drivers and as leaders in clinical research, AI in healthcare, digital health, and precision medicine, we work in partnership with others to combine our clinical and academic excellence in order to ensure cutting-edge research translates into healthcare innovations.
“Leicester also leads the way for clinical trials, with one of the biggest and most active NHS trusts in the UK, covering an area with an ethnically-diverse and socio- economically disadvantaged population – which is important for tackling health inequity. Leicester was the first to highlight the disproportionate impact of Covid on minority ethnic communities.
“Our commitment to research and knowledge transfer with industry has created impacts across science, innovation and technology – for example at Space Park Leicester our £100 million space industry hub delivered in collaboration with partners. We are in the business on innovating the future.”
From engineering businesses to nuclear infrastructure programmes, to spectacular space innovation, the East Midlands has long been a region of significant tech impact. Already eight major headliner events are planned, with further sessions being programmed to run from now until Tech Week in June. All headline and fringe events will be free to attend for delegates with ticket bookings launching in January 2026.
Organised by Holland Alexander, EMTW aims to provide the networks, knowledge, and opportunities needed to help tech entrepreneurs and innovators drive future growth.
EMTW owner, Holland Alexander, Managing Director, Louise Holland said: “We wanted to create an electric festival that drives attention to those incredible business assets based in the region which are creating global tech ingenuity and have the potential to fuel economic growth.
“Having delivered the successful Venturefest East Midlands programme, combined with our management in tech festivals in the United States we are in the right place to be an instigator of this type of festival product for the region.”