'Innovative' companies wanted as Lord Stafford Awards launch in East of England

A prestigious awards event set up to showcase the best of innovation resulting from collaboration between higher education institutions and businesses in the East of England has been officially launched today.

For more than a decade, the Lord Stafford Awards has promoted the efforts of businesses and universities working together to embrace innovation to develop new processes, products and services in the West Midlands.

Following the start of the East Midlands version earlier this year, the Lord Stafford Awards for the East of England will be held on March 31 2009.

Hundreds of companies in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, who work with the 12 higher education institutions that make up the Association of Universities in the East of England, are invited to be pat of the competition and showcase new ways of doing business that have an impact on the profitability and competitiveness of the company.

The Lord Stafford Awards will build on the existing Business and University Collaboration Awards and will be open to any firm that can successfully demonstrate how it has entered new markets, improved sustainability or created groundbreaking products or services as a result of these collaborations.

Lord Stafford (pictured), Awards Patron, said: “Norfolk is a region where excellent work is already taking place within higher education institutions to develop technologies of the future.

“Companies in this area have a long-standing track record of developing and delivering world class examples of products, process and services, which are making a real impact to the economy through wealth and job creation.

“The Lord Stafford Awards is all about showcasing the benefits of this collaboration and thereby encouraging more businesses to look to the future, go to their higher education institutions and find out what support is on offer.

“In these challenging economic times, investing in innovation and seeking to be unique within the marketplace is more important than ever.

“Over the last decade, the Lord Stafford Awards in the West Midlands has unearthed some truly exceptional cases of spin-out companies from universities and traditional companies who have used innovation as the basis for their efforts.

He continued: “These include firms that have developed a ‘stop smoking’ device, a new saliva swab that will save thousands of lives and Morgan Motor Company, who are building the ultimate ‘green’ vehicle called the LifeCar.”

“I look forward to being able to showcase the very best of the entrepreneurial and innovative partnership working in the East of England.”

Mike Hall, Deputy Director at the Association of Universities in the East of England, said:

“We are delighted to be able to support the launch of the Lord Stafford Awards in the East of England.

“These Awards, that build upon the previous success delivered by the region’s Business and University Collaboration Awards, identify and project how the higher education sector is helping to lead the region's economy through the current economic uncertainties and prepare for future prosperity."

Companies and higher education institutions have until January 9 to submit entries. For more information on how to enter the Lord Stafford Awards East of England visit www.thelordstaffordawards.co.uk