Our future - Innovation

Our overarching ambition is to be known globally as Europe’s most innovative university.

To achieve this we will focus on five priorities. They are Innovation District (ID) Manchester, Health innovation, Graphene commercialisation, innovation ecosystems and enterprise through knowledge and commercialisation.

You can find out more about our theme plan. 

Achievements to July 2022 

Innovation District Manchester  

We have signed off the Joint Venture agreement with Bruntwood Scitech for the development of ID Manchester. 

Enterprise through knowledge and commercialisation 

We saw thelaunch of the Northern Gritstone  Investment Company and its first close at £215m. During 2020/21, UoMIF created 13 spinout companies, a new record, signed 18 royalty bearing licences or assignments and 235 express licences. Licensing income was 148% of target at £7.4 million. The year saw our largest licensing deal, worth £68.5m over the next 10 years. 

Health innovation 

We launched the Christabel Pankhurst Institute for health technology research and innovation. Its aim is to capitalise on the University’s strengths in digital health and advanced materials and develop innovative products and services for the health care sector 

Graphene commercialisation 

Our partnerships through the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) has supported the product development of Concretene, a pioneering graphene-enhanced concrete. It reduces the amount of concrete required, speeds up curing time and as a consequence there is a significant reduction in carbon emissions.  

Focus for 2022/23 

ID Manchester and Enterprise through knowledge and commercialisation 

The main focus for the coming year will be to build a pipeline of investments in scaling-up spin-outs and to establish the Masterplan for ID Manchester while bringing forward ‘meanwhile uses’ to accelerate the innovation activity on the site.