Academics from Lancaster University Management School leading a £1.8m project to help UK accounting and law firms become more productive by using digital technology and artificial intelligence are hosting a free online festival for businesses this month.

The week-long Festival of Digital Adoption, to be held on Microsoft Teams between 22 and 26 January, offers the unique opportunity for participants to dip into a series of different 60 or 90 minute events designed to explore the various facets of digital technology use in professional services.

The series of events will focus on a different topic every day – from key trends in different sectors and what to do about them, to the true power of automation - and will give businesses the opportunity to hear directly from experts from academia and industry, as well as hearing the experiences from peers in the field who are going through the technology adoption process.

All events are free and are open to all UK accounting and law firms. You can view the full agenda and register to attend here: Festival of Digital Adoption in PSFs Tickets, Mon 22 Jan 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

Professor James Faulconbridge from Lancaster University Management School said: “We are delighted to be hosting this free, online festival of innovation adoption acceleration in professional service firms. There are a range of events planned across the week and people are free to pick and choose the ones that fit with their interests or attend all the events.

“We have a great line-up of renowned speakers from across academia and industry who will offer insights into their experiences and tips for success.”

The Festival of Digital Adoption is the latest offer of support from a £1.8million accelerator project called TiPS (Technology in Professional Services), led by academics from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) working with Oxford Brookes University and Hyperscale Group Limited.

The project builds on earlier research from LUMS which uncovered the barriers preventing professional service firms from adopting digital technology. TiPS translates these findings into practical help, enabling experts to work hand-in-hand with firms to guide them through the technology adoption process.

The festival is the latest, significant step towards bridging the gap between technology and professional services, offering a platform for knowledge exchange and networking among industry leaders and experts.

The TiPS research team is working alongside professional bodies such as the Law Society, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and CILEx to ensure the project caters to the specific needs of the sectors.

The Technology in Professional Services (TiPS) accelerator is part of a programme called Next Generation Professional and Financial Services, delivered by Innovate UK and ESRC. The programme aims to help professional service sectors, including accounting and law, and the financial service sectors, including insurance, lending, advisory and payment services, develop and use digital technologies.