Held on 18 September at The Vox, the conference proved, once again, to be an exciting mix of keynotes, panel sessions, presentations and breakout sessions; designed to explore growth opportunities and showcase major game-changing projects, innovation and technology.

This is a “once in a generation” time for the West Midlands – the epicentre for strong economic growth in the UK and the fastest growing economy of any UK region outside of London. With Coventry named the UK’s City of Culture for 2021 and Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022; the third WMFFG event was timely.

For the first time, six of the region’s universities came together at the event to showcase how they are accelerating change through their expertise, innovation and research. The universities are making a vital contribution to the growth of the region, offering leadership and game changing research in specialist fields.

Academics from the universities (Aston University, Coventry University, Birmingham City University, University of Birmingham, University of Warwick and University of Wolverhampton) exhibited key projects and delivered breakout sessions that focussed on the West Midlands Combined Authority’s key growth sectors, advanced technologies and world class expertise in areas, including:

• High-Tech Medical Devices and Intelligent Healthcare
• Innovative Vehicle Design and Technologies
• Brownfield Regeneration and Clean Growth
• Human-Computer Interaction, Mixed Reality and Robotics

Learn more about these projects, directly from the universities:

Nicola Hewitt, Commercial Director at the West Midlands Growth Company, said:

“West Midlands Forum for Growth was very beneficial for the universities that attended, it gave them a chance to meet and discuss their innovations and specialisms with major players in the public and private sector.

“The event enabled participants to see and find out about the cutting edge innovation of our universities. Again and again they are evidencing their ability to work effectively with business, which is crucial in attracting investment and accelerating growth in our region.”