Now in its fifth year, the annual Festival held at the University's Arts Complex saw over 100 academics, researchers, postgraduate students, and partners in innovation and entrepreneurship learn about how new ideas emerging from research could be transformed into products, services, and ventures with real-world impact.
The day saw the 2026 Early Career Enterprise Fellowship (ECEF) awards presented to two winners from the 12 students participating who each presented the commercial applications of their research.
Emma Louca (Department of English, School of Humanities) was awarded the judges' prize for her 'Accessible Letterpress' Project, which uses LEGO-compatible 3D-printed type to make letterpress printing accessible to children and adults. Designed as a portable activity kit, the project has already been used in schools and communities, helping spark conversations about literacy, print history, and creative making.
The audience prize went to Erdem Yildiz (School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering) for his 4D morphing composite brace, a lightweight, breathable, and reusable alternative to traditional plaster casts. Designed to reshape around the patient using heat, the technology offers a potentially more comfortable, cost-effective, and sustainable approach to personalised wearable supports.
They each received a shopping voucher as their prize but more importantly, the ECEF has provided them both, along with the other Fellows, with structured support to help develop the commercial potential of their research. This includes enterprise training, opportunities to refine the value proposition and route to impact, access to advice and mentoring within the University's innovation ecosystem and connections with clinical, manufacturing, and commercial partners.
Emma, a current PhD candidate in the University's English department, said: "Being awarded the judges' prize is a huge achievement for me and the Accessible Letterpress Project. It's lovely to see the work we do being recognised for its positive impact on communities. I had such a great time presenting at the Festival of Enterprise and it was wonderful to be in the company of all the other amazing projects being showcased there.
"Getting people excited about community activities and physical creativity, either through letterpress printing workshops or presentations about it, is one of the most rewarding parts of my work and I am so happy to have been able to share it at the Festival of Enterprise.'
Erdem, currently a final-stage PhD researcher in Aerospace Engineering based within the Bristol Composites Institute, said: "Winning the audience prize was especially meaningful because it showed that the need for better, more adaptable patient supports resonates beyond the laboratory. Conventional plaster casts can be heavy, uncomfortable, and difficult to adjust, whereas this concept explores whether advanced thermoplastic composites and 4D printing could enable lightweight, breathable, and reconfigurable braces that are shaped more closely around the individual patient.
"My ambition is to develop this from a promising research concept into a clinically relevant and manufacturable technology. The next steps are to optimise the material architecture, demonstrate repeatable shape adaptation, evaluate comfort and mechanical performance, and work with clinicians, manufacturers, and commercial partners to understand the pathway towards real-world adoption."
Earlier at the Festival, which was hosted by Professor Michele Barbour, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and Innovation), researchers from across the University showcased different projects tackling challenges in healthcare, sustainability, digital technology, food systems, and infrastructure. Presentations included work on epilepsy seizure forecasting, mapping Meals on Wheels provision across the UK, and video games designed for social impact.
Michele said: "The Festival has become an important flagship annual event that showcases and communicates the broad and diverse range of activities that University of Bristol researchers undertake to derive impact from their research. It's a celebration and inspiration and something I'm very proud of."
A new open-call segment also highlighted emerging enterprise activities from staff and postgraduate researchers, while a new Enterprise Superstars initiative recognised individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the University's innovation and entrepreneur ecosystem.
Professor Judith Squires, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost, opened the Festival with her welcoming address and spoke about the event being central to the University's strategy and ambitions as well as being "a celebration of the academic research partnerships working together, driving entrepreneurial skillsets and exploring research commercialisation."
In his closing address, Professor Guy Poppy, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), referenced how the institution and the city of Bristol were "perfect examples of the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem of research, discovery, translation, and societal impact", adding that events like the Festival of Enterprise were "essential as an opportunity to generate lots of personal stories, passion, and enthusiasm which is wonderful to see."
