Wales’ flagship celebration of new ideas and innovation has announced it is returning this summer with a call for Gwent-based businesses and organisations to throw open their doors and showcase their ground-breaking discoveries, capabilities and expertise.

Events are already being planned across the country as part of the Wales Festival of Innovation; a fortnight in June designed to show off the best in Welsh innovation and technological advances.

The goal of the festival, which runs from June 20 to July 1, is to make more people within and beyond Wales aware of the amount of ground-breaking work taking place here, and to encourage others to follow suit.

Those signing up will be joining the ranks of Newport’s SPTS Technologies and Airbus, which both held hugely-successful events as part of last year’s festival.

Festival organisers are calling for businesses and organisations to sign up to host exhibitions, workshops, lectures, seminars, open days, conferences and other gatherings to display their expertise and achievements.

The festival is organised by the ESTnet (the technology network for Wales), the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and MediWales with the support of Welsh Government and industry partners.

Each event selected to take part in the 2016 festival will be hosted by the individual organisations themselves. The purpose is to provide business people, students, academics and the general public, the chance to discover first-hand the leading-edge work being developed by Welsh scientists, academics and entrepreneurs.

This year’s festival has been designed to build on success of the previous two years. Organisers say that the festival’s format has evolved in-line with the hugely positive feedback they have received from previous participants and attendees.

As in previous years, the initiative’s aim is to strengthen the bonds between Welsh businesses and academics across the country, uniting them with the shared goal of promoting the unique culture of innovation that exists in every region in Wales.

Festival spokesperson Idris Price, who is also a director of ESTnet, said: “Too few people realise the role Wales already plays in developing the world-class innovations that are revolutionising the way we all live our lives today.

"The research, technologies and processes being designed here are pervasive.

"On a daily basis, Welsh expertise is driving breakthroughs medicine, leading the development of the homes and planes of the future, helping to create driverless cars, developing the technology that is essential for smart devices, ensuring our security online and, much more.

“Our goal is to ensure that the businesses, universities and entrepreneurs creating these advances are given a platform to share them with the world. By doing so, we believe that Wales’ culture of innovation will prove it to be the ideal location for investment and future growth. We want innovation to be recognised for what it is; a driving force for the Welsh economy and job creation.”

Businesses, universities and other organisations interested in hosting events as part of the 2016 Festival of Innovation can register and make a submission by visiting: www.festivalofinnovation.org/get-involved.html