YORKSHIRE’S universities have collectively offered to help local businesses recover from the pandemic through a programme of collaboration.

West Yorkshire Innovation Festival runs until March 19 and will promote the different types of innovation taking place across Leeds City Region.

Professor Shirley Congdon, the chair of Yorkshire Universities and vice-chancellor at the University of Bradford, urged local businesses to seize the opportunity. She said: “Yorkshire’s universities are here to support you. We stand ready to help rebuild our region’s pioneering and productive economy, to tackle inequalities, and to help businesses navigate the post-covid landscape through innovation, the resilience which comes from diversity and to seek out new markets."

More can be found yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk

Professor Congdon added: “The inaugural West Yorkshire Innovation Festival, organised by Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, presents a timely opportunity for universities in Yorkshire to demonstrate how collaboration – between each other and with industry – underpins the path to stronger and more effective enterprise and prosperity.

“My message to all businesses is this: we want you to identify at least one of our local universities to contact tomorrow, and to take that next step with confidence.”

This event is part of the inaugural West Yorkshire Innovation Festival, which runs until 19 March. The festival will promote the different types of innovation taking place across Leeds City Region.

It is aimed at businesses (particularly SMEs), and brings together a wealth of knowledge and expertise from members of Yorkshire Universities and the West Yorkshire Innovation Network to showcase and explore how universities can help to bolster innovation, across all sectors.