Liverpool to host innovation festival showcasing £2 billion in investment opportunities

More than £2bn of investment opportunities are to be showcased at a two-week festival highlighting the breadth, depth and quality of innovation across the Liverpool City Region.

Running from 1 – 12 June, LCR Innovation Investment Fortnight (IIF) will feature more than 20 events covering topics ranging from the city region’s strengths in life sciences innovation to maritime, games development, AI and sports science. 

The fortnight also includes the fifth annual LCR Innovation Investment Summit at The Spine, a Dragon’s Den style pitching event, a showcase of LCR’s Life Science Investment Zone Programme, and the UK Innovation Districts Group Annual Summit.

Liverpool City Region currently has £1bn of live innovation projects with a further £2bn of projects in the pipeline and seeking investment.

The City Region’s Life Sciences Innovation Zone, which launched in April 2024, is alone expected to attract £800m of public and private sector investment.

Kicking off with a Royal Academy of Engineering event featuring deep tech entrepreneurs and local innovation stakeholders, the fortnight will highlight the City Region’s world-leading assets and distinctive approaches that put it at the forefront of UK place-based innovation. 

The IIF 2026 programme includes a broad range of topics from the Science of Sport Endurance to how the City Region is shaping the future of women’s health as well as taking a deep dive into Sea Level science to mark World Oceans Day.

Tim Games, Executive Director of Investment and Delivery at Liverpool City Region, said:

“Our region has always been a place where great ideas are born – and through LCR Innovation Investment Fortnight, we’re putting a spotlight on the people and projects turning those ideas into world-class industries.

“From infection prevention control to materials chemistry to AI, our region is helping shape the future – and we’re doing it in our own unique way.

“We’re not just talking about innovation – we’re investing in it, unlocking billions in opportunities, and making our region a magnet for talent, creativity, and investment.”

Liverpool City Region has a north star mission to invest 5% of GVA in R&D by 2030. Achieving the target would deliver an estimated £41.7bn of gross economic benefit, a 10% increase in productivity and 44,000 new jobs, and since the first Innovation Investment Summit in 2022, Liverpool City Region has spearheaded a series of landmark initiatives.

This programme of activity includes piloting Innovate UK’s national launchpad grant programme now rolled out to eight other localities and launching its Life Sciences Innovation Zone. It is also one of 10 places earmarked for funding as part of the Local Innovation Partnership Fund and creating new relationships with UKRI – reflecting the region’s highly developed place-based innovation approach at the national forefront. And planning is already underway for the region’s third international AI Summit this Autumn. 

See the full innovation programme here.

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