Festival to showcase the best in West Midlands innovation - West Midlands companies are being urged to come forward to take part in a Festival of Innovation at the National Exhibition Centre in November. Organised to mark the tenth anniversary of the Lord Stafford Awards, the event is being sponsored by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands and will showcase the cream of innovative businesses and products from across the region. The Lord Stafford Awards aim to recognise, encourage and reward the development of collaborative relationships between West Midlands businesses and universities. The Festival of Innovation will take place on Thursday November 15 and will show how the West Midlands has forged ahead in terms of innovation and collaboration, linking businesses with our world-class universities to encourage knowledge transfer and deliver innovative products, processes and services. Entrepreneurs will be on hand to offer expert advice and students will be able to get access to the support on offer to help them kick start their businesses, including collaboration with universities in the region.