Ian Large – Chair of LCRIG’s Infrastructure Innovation Board – looks ahead to this year’s Innovation Festival.
Q. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Innovation Festival?
A. ‘‘The Innovation Festival is set to deliver on everything it did in 2022 plus much more. Showcasing emerging technology and maintenance solutions is absolutely vital and it is so important that local authorities are provided with an opportunity to look, see and touch the latest innovations which can help them do their jobs more effectively. LCRIG is continuing to make the case for innovation and I would encourage everyone to attend this sector-leading event.”
Q. Why is innovation important?
A. ”If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got. This is why innovation is important and events such as the Festival help to showcase new and emerging technologies and products that can help us all do our jobs more safely and effectively.”
Q. Why should local authorities attend the event?
A. ”The Innovation Festival is an event where products, solutions, new innovations and techniques can be displayed and demonstrated over a range of live demonstration sessions. The event provides local authorities with a chance to find out about new innovations from the supply chain that will help to meet their current and future challenges. Places for councils officers are also free, including accommodation.”
Q. What is the role of LCRIG’s Infrastructure Innovation Board?
A. ”The role of the Board is to help accelerate new products, services and ideas for the progression of innovation within the highways sector. The Board is made up of several key individuals from across the roads, utilities and energy sectors with individuals representing a range of different organisations including central government, local authorities and trade associations.
”At the Festival members of the Board will be involved with some of the programme sessions and we’ll also be on hand to help with the scoring and assessment of qualifying innovators entries.”
Q. What can be done to further highlight innovation in the highways sector?
A. ”Innovation helps drive change in the industry. LCRIG centres its activities around four key pillars – innovation, collaboration, net zero and skills – and linking them together helps drive change that is needed. The sector must continue to get better at highlighting the importance of roads and opportunities to showcase innovation are a good way of helping to achieve this.”