The study offers a powerful reminder that survival is only the beginning of recovery.

Published in the journal Physiotherapy, the study evaluated the Enhanced Rehabilitation Programme (ERP), a specialist multidisciplinary rehabilitation service established following the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.

The programme provided intensive, personalised support for survivors who were still struggling with the physical and psychological consequences of their injuries more than a year after the event.

The researchers from the Universities of Salford and Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, found that participants experienced substantial improvements in physical recovery, confidence, fitness, mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

Survivors described achieving goals they once thought impossible, from walking without aids and reducing pain medication to returning to work, pursuing further education and rebuilding their independence.

While advances in trauma care mean more people than ever survive devastating injuries, many continue to live with long-term physical, psychological and social consequences that can persist for years after discharge from hospital.

The ERP brought together physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, surgeons, sports scientists and rehabilitation specialists to address the complex challenges faced by major trauma survivors, at the renowned Manchester Institute of Health and Performance.

Participants consistently reported that the programme's personalised, holistic approach, and elite sport environment, helped them regain confidence, restore function and rebuild their lives.

Patients described how the programme shifted their focus from simply coping with injury to actively “training like an athlete”, pursuing future goals and aspirations.

The study identified several important lessons for the future of trauma rehabilitation:

• Recovery after major trauma must address psychological and social wellbeing, not just physical injuries.
• Personalised goal-setting and progress tracking help maintain motivation and confidence throughout recovery.
• Multidisciplinary rehabilitation allows patients with complex injuries to receive coordinated support tailored to their individual needs.
• Despite the overwhelmingly positive experiences reported by participants, the study also highlighted concerns about what happens when specialist rehabilitation ends.
• Both patients and clinicians expressed anxieties about maintaining progress and accessing ongoing support through existing NHS services, with some describing a feeling of stepping off a rehabilitation "cliff edge" once the programme concluded.

Professor Jason Wong, Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Regenerative Medicine at The University of Manchester and Consultant Trauma Surgeon at MFT, said: "This study is ultimately a story about resilience. The survivors we worked with faced life-changing injuries and experiences, yet many went on to achieve things they never thought would be possible. We saw people regain independence, rebuild confidence, return to work, improve their fitness and ultimately adopt a new healthier mindset.

"What was clear from both patients and clinicians is that recovery after major trauma involves much more than healing physical wounds. Psychological wellbeing, confidence, identity and social participation are all fundamental parts of rebuilding lives after injury.”

Professor Wong, who is also a Dermatology Theme researcher at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester which supported the study, added: "Our findings show that structured, multidisciplinary rehabilitation can make a real difference, but they also highlight an important challenge. Recovery doesn't end when someone leaves hospital, and access to rehabilitation does not always provide the specialist input required.

"This is an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary courage and determination of survivors of trauma, while recognising that many continue to need support long after their immediate injuries have healed. If we want to improve long-term outcomes, we must ensure that trauma survivors have access to sustainable rehabilitation pathways that support them throughout their recovery journey."

Paul Price, a Manchester Arena attack survivor who took part in the Enhanced Rehabilitation Programme at the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance (MIHIP) over two years, said: “The NHS saved my life and put me back together, but it was the support and specialist care I received at MIHIP that gave me the means to carry on living.

“The programme helped me rebuild not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, and showed me that recovery could mean more than simply coping — it could mean finding a way forward.”

• The programme was funded through the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund and Greater Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups, with support from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester.
• The paper The enhanced rehabilitation programme for significant musculoskeletal injuries from the Manchester arena bombing – A process evaluation study investigating patients’ and physiotherapists’ experiences is published in Physiotherapy  DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2026.102371
• Image: view of the floral tribute in Manchester. Credit: Tomasz "odder" Kozlowski

Professor Stefano Bartolini, one of Europe’s most influential scholars of comparative politics and political theory, visited the University of Manchester to deliver his British Academy Lecture, titled ‘The Institutional Patrimony of the West.’

In his thought-provoking talk, Professor Bartolini drew on more than 1,500 years of history to ask the question: why have democratic institutions and systems of power-sharing emerged and endured in some societies, while proving more difficult to establish in others?

The lecture explored the long historical development of the institutions that underpin democracy in Western Europe where, rather than viewing democracy as a deliberate invention or the inevitable result of economic development, he argued that it emerged gradually through centuries of political competition, negotiation and compromise between different centres of power.

The British Academy

The event was part of the British Academy’s prestigious lecture programme, first established in 1908 and delivered by the most outstanding academics in the UK and beyond. The lectures showcase leading scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, creating opportunities for public engagement with some of the most important questions facing society. The University of Manchester is proud to be a partner in this shared mission, helping to bring research in conversation with wider audiences.

A fresh perspective

Offering a fresh perspective on the historical foundations of democracy, the talk raised topical and important questions about the future of political institutions in an increasingly complex and contested world.

Following the talk, Professor Bartolini was joined in conversation by Manchester colleagues: Professor Dimitris Papadimitriou, Professor of Political Science and a Vice-Dean in the Faculty of Humanities, and Professor Olga Onuch, Professor of Comparative and Ukrainian Politics.

Their expertise in European politics, democratic engagement, political behaviour and identity provided a fascinating discussion, covering pressing topics such as the role in trust in sustaining institutional legitimacy, contemporary political challenges, and questions of pluralism and citizenship.

Watch the full recording here.

Published as a free Open Educational Resource (OER), and the first Pressbooks open monograph published by the University of Manchester, the book examines the fast-evolving relationship between universities and language models. It argues that these tools have become commonplace without universities having fully adjusted to their presence, producing a multidimensional crisis of trust between staff and students, and a dilemma in which adapting to AI and integrating AI tend to undercut each other.

Reflecting on the publication, Mark said:

The book will be of interest to scholars, students and practitioners seeking to understand and respond to the changing role of AI in higher education.

Advancing Open Education at Manchester

This publication marks an important milestone for the Library's Imagine 2035anchor project, Flip to Open, , which has been exploring ways to reduce reliance on commercial textbooks by supporting the creation and adoption of OER. Over the next few months, the Teaching Collections team will be transitioning this project into a new service offer which aims to support teaching staff across the University to publish and adopt OER through our new OER Programme.

LanthaGen Bio was named the winner at the University of Manchester’s inaugural Innovation Festival following pitches from five shortlisted teams developing AI solutions to address real-world challenges.

LanthaGen Bio is developing technology that combines artificial intelligence, computational chemistry and physics-based modelling to accelerate the recovery of critical metals while reducing waste, costs and the need for resource-intensive laboratory testing.

Rare earth elements and other critical metals are essential to a wide range of technologies, including electric vehicles, smartphones and clean-energy infrastructure. However, recovering these materials efficiently and sustainably remains a significant challenge.

LanthaGen Bio aims to address this by developing proteins that selectively bind to target metals. These proteins known as Biomagnets, help recover valuable materials from existing waste streams, reducing reliance on conventional extraction and separation processes.

By combining computational chemistry, AI and physics-based modelling, LanthaGen Bio designs custom metal-binding proteins in days rather than months. This makes metal recovery faster, more efficient and sustainable.

LanthaGen Bio has already secured £2.4 million in grant funding, allowing their six-person team to build sustainably towards future development.

Dan Healy, co-founder of LanthaGen Bio Ltd, said: “This funding has unlocked our next project, meaning we can extend the contracts of our amazing PhD scientists in Greater Manchester, keeping talent local and allowing us to target an entirely new metal for recycling that we couldn't previously research. As well as delivering skilled employment in Greater Manchester, our product aims to vastly increase circularity and reduce carbon emissions for a metal that has no established supply chain in Europe.”

The Coller AI competition, established by The University of Manchester and the Jeremy Coller Foundation, supports early-stage ventures using artificial intelligence to tackle global challenges while ensuring technology is developed responsibly and for the benefit of people and society.

The competition attracted applications from students, staff and alumni across the University. The four other finalists were:

Health Equity Chain, building and AI tool that helps doctors and patients make better prostate cancer treatment decisions.

SporeSense, created an AI-powered early-warning system that detects crop disease before any symptoms are visible, helping farmers reduce losses and unnecessary pesticide use.

SenseVale, developing smart glasses to help blind and partially sighted people navigate their surroundings more independently.

Forkprint Ltd, developing AI-enabled models helping food businesses measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with ingredients and food preparation.

Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice President (Enterprise) and CSO of Unit M at The University of Manchester said: “The quality of every pitch was exceptional and a powerful reflection of the ambition and growing entrepreneurial spirit across our University ecosystem. Huge congratulations to LanthaGen Bio - it has been fantastic to see how far the team has come over the past 18 months, since first winning an Ideas with Impact Award in 2025. The competition was a fitting way to close our inaugural Innovation Festival: a week full of energy, bold ideas and a real sense of excitement about what comes next.”

Jeremy Coller said: “AI will completely transform the way we live, work and communicate, solving challenges that have baffled us for generations and allowing humanity to achieve in the real world what was previously confined to our wildest imaginations. To make the most of that potential we have to support the innovators and entrepreneurs who are working so hard to unleash it, and that's what the Coller AI Competition is all about - identifying incredible people doing amazing things in the University of Manchester community and getting behind the very best of them.”

Jeremy Coller Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of private equity entrepreneur Jeremy Coller. The Foundation supports initiatives focused on education, entrepreneurship, pensions innovation and the transition to a more sustainable food system.

The Coller AI Competition forms part of The University of Manchester’s Challenge Accepted campaign, which supports ideas with the potential to tackle major global challenges. Challenge Accepted | Give | The University of Manchester

The initiative run by Unit M brings together the University of Manchester’s research strength, entrepreneurial talent and commitment to responsible innovation, supporting students, staff and alumni.

Hosted by Faculty of Humanities Dean and Chair of the CI Board, Professor Fiona Devine, the event opened with welcome addresses from University of Manchester President Professor Duncan Ivison, Chinese Consul General Tang Rui and, via video message, Vice-President of Beijing Normal University, Professor Chen Xing.

The opening speeches were followed by a screening of the CI’s anniversary short film “Twenty years of making connections”, which showcased the Institute’s wide-ranging impact in Manchester and beyond.

The film screening was followed by a panel discussion titled “The World China Made: After the Urban Century”, featuring Academician Jianguo Wang (Southeastern University, China) and Professor Kerry Brown (King's College London) and chaired by CI Director Deljana Iossifova. Panellists discussed China’s urban transformation and its global impact. The day concluded with a preview of the exhibition “Building China: People’s Infrastructure” and a reception.

Over the past 20 years, the University of Manchester and Beijing Normal University have been working together on teacher development, academic exchange and cultural engagement, supporting the Institute’s growth. Looking to the future, the two universities will continue to deepen their partnership, using language and culture to promote educational cooperation and people-to-people exchange between China and the UK.

Watch the anniversary short film.

Synthetic social data can help researchers access and analyse information derived from sensitive microdata without directly releasing the original records. However, useful synthetic data must preserve important statistical properties while also limiting disclosure risk and remaining computationally practical. The study investigated latent flow models, a class of continuous-time generative models that transform random noise into synthetic observations. Although different learning approaches - including velocity, score, noise, and posterior matching - can describe the same underlying generative process under ideal theoretical conditions, the paper examined whether they remain equivalent when implemented using finite data, approximate neural networks, numerical solvers, and limited computational budgets. Across seven tabular datasets, with five censuses among them, the results show that theoretically connected formulations can behave differently in practice. Velocity and posterior matching generally achieve higher statistical utility, while score and noise matching tend to produce more conservative disclosure-risk profiles. The study also demonstrates that probability paths, deterministic or stochastic sampling, numerical solvers, integration endpoints, and sampling budgets can substantially affect the quality of the synthetic data.

The findings provide practical guidance for selecting and configuring latent flow models according to the intended balance between analytical utility, disclosure risk, data fidelity, and computational cost. The full article is available here:https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.20878

A new opera created and directed by University of Manchester bicentenary fellow will invite its audience to shape the story live at the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall on Friday 6 November 2026.

In Ghost of the AI Empire, audience members can take part anonymously using their phones. Their choices affect scenes as the performance unfolds: for example, during a boat journey, they can calm or raise a storm, influencing whether a fugitive reaches land. An intelligent-stage system responds to the collective mood in the hall. Even the cast will not know in advance how the story ends.

The opera project and its intelligent-stage system were created by Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina, Bicentenary Music Fellow at the University of Manchester and Artistic Director of Operactive Arts. It reimagines the Japanese ghost legend Yotsuya Kaidan in a future ruled by an AI empire, bringing elements of Japanese Noh theatre together with European opera. Live singers and musicians perform a work sung in English and Japanese, with English surtitles.

Dr Huang-Kokina said: “Opera has always been an art form of innovation. We wanted a show that responds to the people in the hall, with singers, musicians and audience creating an experience unique to that night alone. Immersive technology deepens that shared emotional experience and opens up new participatory possibilities for the live stage, while the artists remain in full creative control.”

The production has two parts: The Covenant, with music by Ryan Morgan, and Yurei, with music by Atzi Muramatsu. Harry O’Brien (University of Manchester Bicentenary PhD Scholar) provides electroacoustic sound design, and Nick Bond (University of Manchester Music and Drama alumnus) is artistic co-director. Earlier versions were performed in Edinburgh and Lund in 2025. In May 2026, Operactive Arts ran a human–AI improvisation workshop in Manchester as part of English National Opera’s Tuning into Opera initiative.

Ghost of the AI Empire takes place at 7pm on Friday 6 November at the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, Martin Harris Centre, Manchester. A pre-concert talk will feature Professor Michelle Phillips, Director at Creative Manchester, Dr Courtney Chrimes, Lecturer in Fashion Business and Marketing in the Department of Materials, and Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina.

Tickets cost £15, or £10 for concessions. A dress rehearsal will be open to students. 
For further information and to book, visit: https://operactive.co.uk/ghost-of-the-ai-empire.

Professor Yang Dong, Dean of Renmin University of China Law School and Dr Li Xiuqi, Director of the Training and Alumni Office, Renmin University of China Law School visited the Manchester China Institute (MCI) on Friday 9 October 2026 to explore opportunities for partnership between the two institutions. Professor Yang and his colleagues were welcomed by Professor Lei Chen, MCI Director and Chair of Comparative Law, and Ms Yannan Yu, the project manager of MCI at The University of Manchester.

The visit provided an opportunity to consider how Renmin’s strengths in legal scholarship could complement MCI’s interdisciplinary research on China. The discussions centred on developing closer institutional connections and exploring a sustained academic relationship that supports research and knowledge exchange.

A future partnership could create opportunities for joint research, seminars, academic visits and engagement between early-career scholars. Bringing researchers together around shared questions would support substantive comparative analysis and a deeper understanding of China’s evolving legal landscape.

For MCI, the visit reflects its commitment to advancing understanding between Britain and China through research, education and public engagement. Closer connections with Renmin would strengthen the Institute’s international academic network and help connect legal scholarship with wider debates about China’s economy, society and governance.

Set within the wider Chinese Streamside Garden, the new garden celebrates friendship, generosity and international collaboration. Its creation brings together the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the Lee Kai Hung Foundation, the China Flower Association (CFA), the Yangzhou Classical Garden Construction Company and other partners, alongside the support of Greater Manchester’s Chinese community.

Inspired by the historic gardens of Yangzhou, the landscape combines traditional Chinese craftsmanship with horticultural expertise. Four pavilions dedicated to music, chess, calligraphy and painting surround a courtyard and pool, offering visitors an opportunity to encounter Chinese cultural traditions through architecture, planting and garden design. The garden opened to the public on Saturday 26 September.

The project has particular significance for MCI through their shared connection to the late Dr Lee Kai Hung. His philanthropy helped establish the Institute, while his vision and generosity were central to the development of the Chinese Streamside Garden. Both reflect his commitment to building trust and understanding between British and Chinese people through education, culture and personal connections.

Professor Chen’s attendance connects MCI’s academic mission with this wider cultural endeavour. The garden complements the Institute’s work in research, public engagement and inclusion by making Chinese heritage accessible to communities across Greater Manchester. It also offers a setting for shared learning and cultural exchange, bringing the questions explored within the University into the everyday experiences of a wider public.

Ruth Flanaghan was the Community Innovation Practitioner in 2025-26, based at The University of Manchester, leading the project Unity and Strength: Banner Making as a Tool to Enhance Belonging and Community Cohesion.

Delivered through this Community Innovation Practitioner (CIP) programme, this work brought together Cartwheel Arts, Creative Manchester at The University of Manchester and Heritage Crafts UK as partners to explore how heritage crafts, embedded within communities and supported by Greater Manchester's devolved policy context, can contribute to good growth. This ensures more people can contribute to, and benefit from, economic success by combining both asset and place-based approaches.

Ruth's recommendations from the project include calling on funders to recognise that long-term investment in devolved, collaborative, creative work can build cross-cultural connections, wellbeing, belonging, and civic participation.

The research, published at a pivotal moment for devolution under Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s new government, argues that transferring greater powers and resources to places must be accompanied by new ways of involving communities in the decisions, research and innovation that shape their futures.

Funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and led by Northumbria University, the findings come from the programme’s Community Innovation Practitioner (CIP) Awards.

The Community Innovation Practitioner Awards represent an investment of almost £500,000, catalysing place-based research and innovation across all four nations of the UK.

Six Community Innovation Practitioners have today published a new collection of case studies, devolved policy papers and Creative Communities podcast episodes.

Listen to Ruth's podcast episode and read her case study and policy paper.

A study of more than 6,000 people in the UK and Sweden suggests that although scientists are generally regarded as credible, their status as experts is more contested when they discuss issues such as health, education and employment.

Researchers from The University of Manchester and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden found that scientists were perceived as more credible than government officials, but were no more credible - and in some circumstances less credible - than businesspeople and campaigners.

The findings challenge the assumption that scientific expertise automatically gives academics greater credibility when they contribute to wider public debates.

Scientists don't automatically have the advantage

The researchers wanted to examine whether people actually regard scientists as more credible than other groups when presented with the same claims about society.

Rather than simply asking people whether they trust science, the study used a survey experiment in which participants were asked to assess statements attributed to different types of experts. These included an academic scientist, businessperson, government official or issue advocate.

The statements covered technological and non-technological issues, allowing the researchers to examine whether the identity of the person making a claim affected how convincing it appeared.

The study involved nationally representative samples of adults in the UK and Sweden. Data was collected online, with 6,198 complete responses ultimately included in the analysis. Each participant assessed 8 different combinations of statements and expert types.

Technology makes a difference

The researchers found a clear difference depending on what scientists were talking about.

When discussing the societal consequences of technological developments, scientists' credibility increased relative to other expert groups. But when the same set of experts was discussing non-technological social issues such as health, education or employment, businesspeople and issue advocates were perceived as more credible than scientists.

The researchers suggest this may reflect the different ways people understand scientific expertise. Technology-related questions may be seen as areas where scientists possess particularly relevant specialist knowledge. Wider social questions, by contrast, can involve competing values, political judgements and forms of knowledge outside academia.

Why might people distrust scientists?

The researchers considered three potential sources of distrust. People were asked whether they viewed university scientists as being:

• closely allied with vested interests rather than independent;
• ideologically driven rather than open-minded; or
• insufficiently focused on issues relevant to society.

Around 56 per cent of all respondents agreed with at least one of these statements: 37 per cent viewed scientists as influenced by vested interests, 37 per cent considered them ideologically biased, and 33 per cent believed scientific knowledge had limited relevance to the types of societal issues examined in the study.

The researchers found that these three forms of distrust were associated with the credibility disadvantage experienced by scientists.

They also found that the specific credibility gap between technological and non-technological issues was largely driven by people who expressed these concerns.

Rethinking the role of scientific expertise

The researchers say the findings highlight the difference between public trust in science in general and the credibility of scientists when they act as experts in specific public debates.

The study suggests that people may broadly support science while being more selective about whether they regard scientists as credible sources of advice on particular social questions.

“Scientists are increasingly expected to contribute to debates about some of the biggest challenges facing society, but our findings suggest that this does not automatically translate into greater credibility,” said Professor Cornelia Lawson from The University of Manchester. “This presents an important challenge for universities, scientists and research funders seeking to ensure that research has an impact beyond academia.”

The research was conducted by Anders Broström of KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Cornelia Lawson and Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester.

Publication details

This research was published in:

Research Policy

Full title of the paper:
Contested credibility: Public perceptions of scientists as experts

DOI: 
10.1016/j.respol.2026.105640

URL: 
https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0048-7333(26)00231-3

The proposed Centre in Bengaluru will provide a permanent platform for The University of Manchester to deepen its engagement with one of the world’s most dynamic education, research and innovation ecosystems. It will help to bring together academic expertise, industry knowledge and entrepreneurial talent to address shared challenges and create opportunities for students and researchers.

Building on The University of Manchester’s successful Partner-Enabled Learning (PEL) model in the UK, the centre in Bengaluru will create opportunities for students to gain practical experience through internships, work placements and industry-led projects.

The PEL model aims to close skills gaps by embedding real-world projects with employers, public bodies and community organisations into degree programmes, ensuring students graduate with practical experience as well as academic knowledge. It focuses on developing skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, collaboration and employer engagement through credit-bearing projects and micro-internships.

The University of Manchester has established relationships with leading businesses and industry partners across India, including organisations such as Reliance, Tata and Infosys, alongside a wider network of technology companies. The Centre will build on these connections to strengthen industry engagement and create new opportunities for students and researchers.

The announcement comes as The University of Manchester joins the first-ever Great North Mayoral Mission to India, taking place from 12 to 16 October 2026. The mission brings together universities, businesses, civic leaders and cultural organisations from across the North of England to forge new connections, build lasting relationships and share expertise with India.

Bengaluru has been identified as the preferred location for the Centre due to its position as one of India’s leading hubs for higher education, technology and innovation. The city is home to some of the country’s foremost universities and research institutes, alongside a thriving community of global businesses and technology companies. Many already collaborate with Manchester’s academics and graduates, providing a strong foundation for the University’s future presence in the city.

The announcement marks a significant step in the University’s ambition to strengthen its global presence, as set out in its strategy, From Manchester for the World. It builds on decades of collaboration with partners across India and will create new opportunities to tackle global challenges by connecting Manchester’s expertise with India’s dynamic research, technology and innovation communities.

The Centre was announced at a special event at the Science Gallery Bengaluru, which featured alumni and leaders from sectors such as culture and business. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig also attended and there were panel discussions on innovation and culture led by President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, Professor Duncan Ivison.

Professor Ivison said: “There is an incredible depth to Manchester’s relationship with India across education, business and culture. Our new Centre will be at the heart of deepening those relationships and I’m very excited to see what we can give, and what we can learn over the coming years.”

The University of Manchester has international centres in Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.

The proposed Centre aligns closely with the University’s International Delivery Plan, which places global engagement as a key objective of Manchester 2035. The plan recognises that international partnerships will be central to delivering world-leading research, creating new educational opportunities, strengthening innovation ecosystems and ensuring Manchester remains a partner of choice around the world.

The University of Manchester was the first in the UK to establish a joint PhD programme with an Indian institution, launching its dual award PhD with IIT Kharagpur in 2021.

It also established collaborations with institutions including the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, BITS Pilani in fields of engineering and computer science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific research and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

This visit forms part of the University's Challenge Accepted fundraising and volunteering campaign, which has included launch events in Delhi and Mumbai.

A new £1.5 million EPSRC grant will support researchers at The University of Manchester in developing atomically precise nanomachines based on two-dimensional materials, opening new possibilities for sensing, nanofluidics and quantum technologies.

Researchers at the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester have been awarded a £1.5 million Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Standard Research Grant to establish a new research programme in Ferroelectric Nanomechanics. The project is due to begin in January 2027 and will explore how atomically thin materials can be used to create electrically controlled nanomachines capable of movement and positioning in liquids at unprecedented scales.

Led by Professor Roman Gorbachev, the four-year project brings together expertise from across Manchester's graphene and advanced materials community, including Professor Vladimir Fal'ko, Professor Sarah Haigh, Professor Sir Andre Geim and Dr Nicholas Clark.

The research builds on recent discoveries in layered materials, including sliding ferroelectricity, where tiny mechanical movements between atomically thin layers are coupled directly to their electronic properties. The team will investigate how this phenomenon can be harnessed to create a new generation of nanoscale devices capable of controlled motion in liquids and reconfigurable nanofluidic systems. The researchers aim to create electrically driven "van der Waals stepper motors" that could position nano-objects in increments of around one angstrom, approximately the diameter of a single atom.

The project will combine expertise in nanofabrication, microscopy, electronic transport measurements, theory and materials characterisation. Researchers will investigate the fundamental physics of atomic-scale sliding processes, while developing devices that can both sense and control nanoscale movement for instance nanoscale valves capable of controlling flow through atomically small channels.

Potential longer-term applications highlighted within the programme include metrology, nano-electromechanical systems, quantum technologies, and advanced sensing.

The grant further strengthens Manchester's position in advanced materials and nanotechnology research, building on internationally recognised expertise in graphene, van der Waals heterostructures and atomically thin materials.

The inaugural Innovation Festival ended on a high at the Nancy Rothwell Building, where five ventures went head to head in the Coller AI Competition final, pitching live for a £100,000 equity investment from the Jeremy Coller Foundation.

LanthaGen Bio Ltd won with an AI platform that designs metal-capturing proteins computationally, helping recover valuable metals from electronic waste and onshore the UK's critical-mineral supply. CTO and co-founder Dan Healy led the pitch, and accepted the award alongside CSO Ellie Goulding, which was presented by Investment Principal Harry Kalms.

Nearby, Prime Minister Andy Burnham addressed a local summit, calling for the UK to become the world's leading "innovation nation" and praising the University's role in Manchester's innovation story. Organisers confirmed the festival returns 1–5 November 2027.

Amid the buzz of the Nancy Rothwell Building, five finalist ventures pitched live for a £100k investment at the Coller AI Competition final today. Each team applies AI to a different social challenge: LanthaGen Bio Ltd pitched their platform for combining biomolecules and machine-learning modelling to identify candidates for selectively recovering valuable metals from electronic waste—‘urban mines’—and help onshore the UK’s critical-mineral supply. SenseVale pitched smart glasses that help blind and partially sighted users navigate more independently.

Spore Sense pitched an AI-enabled system that reduces pesticide use by detecting crop disease before symptoms appear. Health Equity Chain pitched a treatment analyser that helps prostate cancer patients understand where they stand among people like them. Finally, Forkprint pitched models that analyse food business data to track greenhouse gas emissions and develop lower-carbon recipes.

LanthaGen Bio Ltd wins, turning electronic waste into a UK mineral supply

LanthaGen Bio took home the prize—presented by Investment Principal Harry Kalms from the Jeremy Coller Foundation—securing the six-figure equity investment for its AI platform that simulates how proteins and peptides bind metals, allowing new metal-capturing proteins to be designed computationally rather than found by trial and error. The approach drastically shortens development while cutting the energy, chemicals, plastic and solvent waste of repeated screening — supporting UK efforts to recover valuable metals from electronic waste and onshore critical-mineral supply. CTO and co-founder Dan Healy led the pitch, with Healy and CSO and co-founder Ellie Goulding accepting the award. The prize adds to £2.4 million in grant funding already secured, allowing their six-person team to build sustainably towards future development.

"We were pitching against the best of the best, which makes it just so exciting—it feels amazing,” Healy shared, adding encouragement for others who might be dreaming of a venture in the future, “Your idea doesn't have to be perfect... we really believed in this and it had some scientific integrity behind it. You really just go from that."

“The three co-founders at LanthaGen Bio each bring their own set of skills... they have such a positive, candid attitude. They've faced stumbling blocks, they've pivoted their thinking, but they are willing to talk to everybody, to absorb the information, and to work out which advice to listen to.” — Aline Miller, Associate Vice-President (Enterprise), University of Manchester

A week that showcased Manchester's role in building an Innovation Nation

As the University’s inaugural Innovation Week closed, Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for the UK to become the world's leading "innovation nation" at a local summit, praising the University's role in Manchester’s innovation story. Friday wraps five days of activity, with the festival hosting more than 25 events across 17 venues, including 116 speakers, 21 new ideas pitched, and over 3,000 registrations. For the University of Manchester’s President and Vice-Chancellor Duncan Ivison, the week capped 18 months of work: "We've created a new innovation agency, set up a first ever £10M Founders Fund, and launched an innovation hub on Oxford Road... I think the festival sends a big message that innovation is a huge part of our future." As the week came to a close, organisers, confirmed the event will return next year, 1–5 November 2027.

Announcements and developments

• Atom Valley takes shape: The Festival’s final day also marked a major milestone in Rochdale, where the base build of the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) is now complete. It will give businesses in advanced materials and manufacturing access to specialist space, facilities and expertise, helping them move from concept to commercial application. The University of Manchester is lead delivery partner for the centre’s innovation ecosystem, working with Rochdale Development Agency, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Innovation Greater Manchester and UKRI. The SMMC is forecast to generate £107 million in economic value over ten years. “Atom Valley is an exciting opportunity and key to our plans to bring good growth to every postcode in Greater Manchester.” — Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival

“Having more startups based in the north would be great. We're quite passionate about putting our roots of a company down here.” — Ellie Goulding, CSO and co-founder, LanthaGen Bio Ltd

“Innovation can breed social mobility. I'd love to see more opportunities for entrepreneurs from working class backgrounds, as queer and female founders.” — Dan Healy, CTO and co-founder, LanthaGen Bio Ltd

“We have worked with over 1,500 people across the city region over the last three years to help them explore and enter into careers in AI. That is a civic responsibility... By 2035, we'll be awash with it.” — Liz Scott MBE, Coller AI Competition judge and Chief Executive Director, Turing Innovation Catalyst

The awards were set up as part of the University’s Innovation Festival 2026, with the aim of showcasing the role of collaboration in advancing research, driving innovation, and delivering social value across Manchester and beyond. One World Together and its partners within UoM won the ‘Social Enterprise Partnership Excellence’ category, which recognises outstanding partnerships between the university and organisations delivering measurable social, environmental or community impact. One World Together is a global movement for trust-based giving that funds community change through small monthly donations, with no strings attached.

Responding to the win, Nicola said: “I’m absolutely delighted that our partnership with One World Together has been recognised in this way. OWT grew out of research at Manchester, but what I’m most proud of is everything that has become possible since then by working together — with our community partners, schools, students and colleagues across the University.

Also shortlisted at the awards were Professor Diana Mitlin for GDI’s longstanding partnership with Slum Dwellers International (SDI), a global network of community organisers advocating for improved conditions for people living in informal settlements. As explored in a recent GDI blog, GDI’s collaboration with SDI has fundamentally shaped the trajectory of research within the institute, paving the way for projects like OWT.

Read the full list of winners and finalists here.

Read more about the history of GDI’s work with SDI and OWT here, as well as an interview with Joe Muturi, President of the Global SDI Network, here.

The Bloomsbury Prize celebrates outstanding scholarship that deepens understanding of Pakistan and South Asia. It recognises academic books that make original contributions to the study of the region’s history, politics, society, economy and culture, while illuminating the lives and experiences of its people.

The prize jury praised Aijazi’s cutting-edge experimentation with scholarly narrative, rooted in deeply compassionate ethnographic research and attentive to the emotional terrain of the disputed territory of Kashmir:

“An ethnography of life in ecologically fragile, militarised borderlands, Atmospheric Violence offers both a methodological and a conceptual innovation, making a compelling case for rethinking how disaster is researched and represented. Instead of framing disaster as rupture, the book foregrounds friendship, kinship, and emotional life as central to recovery. Aijazi combines rich empirical detail with strong theoretical grounding, linking affect and marginality through vivid vignettes from remote valleys in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir.”

Published in 2024 by the University of Pennsylvania Press, Atmospheric Violence has now received six international accolades, underscoring the book’s growing recognition across scholarship on South Asia, disasters, ethnography and social justice.

In the book, Aijazi challenges conventional approaches that treat disasters as isolated catastrophic events or moments of direct physical trauma. Instead, he conceptualises violence as an omnipresent condition, an ambient “atmosphere” woven into everyday life alongside military checkpoints, no-go zones and fractured landscapes. Against this backdrop, the book foregrounds the everyday practices of friendship, kinship, care and repair through which people make life possible amid ongoing violence.

The book is available to read open access here.

The Dalton Nuclear Institute has been recognised as “world-leading” by Prime Minister Andy Burnham during his Innovation Nation speech in Manchester, where he outlined his vision for the UK to become the world's leading innovation nation.

At the forefront of nuclear innovation

In highlighting the organisations helping to drive innovation, economic growth and industrial renewal, the Prime Minister recognised the Dalton Nuclear Institute as one of the leading institutions at the forefront of nuclear innovation.

The recognition reflects the Institute's longstanding contribution to nuclear research, innovation, skills development and policy engagement.

As The University of Manchester's hub for nuclear activity, the Dalton Nuclear Institute brings together expertise spanning the full nuclear fuel cycle, advanced reactor technologies, fusion, decommissioning, materials, robotics, environmental protection and energy systems.

Research and skills

Alongside its internationally recognised research, the Institute plays a leading role in developing the future nuclear workforce. Through its Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs), postgraduate programmes and industry partnerships, Dalton helps equip students and researchers with the skills needed to support the UK's civil and defence nuclear ambitions. The Institute also partners in the Nuclear Technology Education Consortium (NTEC), which delivers specialist postgraduate nuclear education to students and professionals from across the UK and around the world.

The Institute's impact extends beyond research and education. Through its policy engagement activities, including influential contributions like our Generic Feasibility Assessment tool, and policy papers addressing a range of challenges such as ‘non-proliferation for fusion energy’ and ‘actionable opportunities from the UK nuclear regulatory review 2025’, Dalton is helping to shape national conversations around regulation, energy security, innovation and the future of the UK's nuclear sector.

Watch Andy Burnham's speech at the Innovation Nation Summit in Manchester: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYE8OKvjfOM

The 30,000 sq ft centre is the first major physical development within the Atom Valley Innovation District (AVID), a 25-acre hub for advanced materials and manufacturing in Rochdale, bringing together businesses, researchers, investors and innovation partners in one location. AVID provides an environment where organisations can innovate, grow and commercialise new technologies, strengthening Greater Manchester's position as a leading centre for advanced materials and manufacturing. 

Completion of the building represents a major milestone for years of partnership working between Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), The University of Manchester and wider innovation partners.

RDA has led the physical development of the SMMC, working with partners to secure investment and position advanced materials and manufacturing as a priority opportunity for Rochdale and Greater Manchester. The next phase will see work move from construction towards specialist fit-out ahead of bringing the centre into operation in 2027.

The RDA brought together partners from industry, academia and government to establish the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) in 2023. Since then, businesses have been able to connect with a national network of specialist expertise, facilities and innovation support through the CEAMS partners, including The University of Manchester, the Henry Royce Institute, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), CPI and NCC.

CEAMS has already supported more than 90 companies, developing new products and processes and demonstrating the value of a more connected innovation ecosystem.

The SMMC will provide a permanent physical gateway into the UK’s renowned advanced materials and manufacturing network. It will offer advanced materials and manufacturing businesses access to specialist space, facilities, expertise and the CEAMS national network of innovation support, helping them move from concept towards commercial application.

The development of the SMMC building has received £15.2 million from the UK Government's Towns Fund, £15m from the GMCA’s Good Growth Fund and £10 million from the Greater Manchester Investment Zone.

The next phase for the innovation district has received a further major boost through £16.4 million from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF), a flagship UK government programme delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in partnership with GMCA and Innovation Greater Manchester (IGM), investing £500 million to strengthen regional innovation economies across the country. The University of Manchester is the lead delivery partner for the programme, working with RDA and the CEAMS consortium of national innovation partners to activate the ecosystem around the SMMC. Independent analysis forecasts that the centre will generate £107 million of economic value over ten years, delivering a 2:1 return on public investment while helping to attract new businesses, inward investment and high-value employment into Atom Valley.

Councillor Daniel Meredith, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The building completion of the Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Centre is fantastic news for Rochdale residents. This landmark facility will help create new employment opportunities, support the development of high-value skills and ensure local people can benefit from some of the most exciting advances in modern manufacturing and materials science.

“We've worked hard to position Rochdale at the forefront of innovation and advanced manufacturing, and the SMMC is a clear example of that ambition becoming reality. It's a major investment in our future, creating opportunities for local businesses, attracting new employers and helping to build a stronger economy for generations to come.”

Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation at The University of Manchester, said: “Completing the base build is a major achievement and testament to the partnership that has brought the SMMC this far. The opportunity now is to bring that physical investment to life by drawing together businesses, research, expertise and innovation in a way that creates lasting value for Rochdale, Greater Manchester and the UK.

“The University is the lead delivery partner charged with delivering the innovation ecosystem that will accelerate the growth of the advanced materials and manufacturing cluster already in the region, connecting our research strengths with businesses and national partners to help new ideas develop, scale and reach the market at pace, and attracting over £60 million in private sector investment. The SMMC and wider Atom Valley Innovation District is a crucial part of our commitment to driving innovation-led growth right across Greater Manchester.”

Charlotte Deane, UK Research & Innovation senior sponsor for Greater Manchester said: “Greater Manchester has outstanding strengths in advanced materials and manufacturing. This £16.4m Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) investment backs those strengths by connecting businesses with a national network of expertise and support to turn world-class research and innovation into economic opportunity by powering the growth of an advanced materials focused cluster of companies on the Kingsway Business Park.

“The SMMC and the wider Atom Valley Innovation District show the potential of universities, industry and

civic partners working together to support innovation-led growth, unlock new supply chain opportunities, create new jobs and strengthen the region’s ability to attract and grow innovative businesses.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig said: “Atom Valley is an exciting opportunity and key to our plans to bring good growth to every postcode in Greater Manchester. The completion of the SMMC building is a major milestone for what will become a nationally significant hub for innovation.

“We’re providing space for businesses and connecting them with investment, world-class research, facilities and support within the wider Atom Valley Innovation District. In practice, that means more opportunities for our businesses to grow, attracting new investment to this part of Greater Manchester, and more high-value jobs for our residents.”

The milestone was announced during a week where The University of Manchester hosted its inaugural Innovation Festival, to showcase Manchester's vibrant, globally connected innovation ecosystem and bring together researchers, students, entrepreneurs, partners, investors and civic leaders to explore how ideas become impact.

Where earlier days celebrated what Manchester is building, Thursday looked outwards. The first Cambridge x Manchester Partnership Innovation Summit filled Sister to the brim with founders, researchers, investors and policymakers from both cities. Panels explored the partnership’s mission to ‘supercharge innovation-led growth’, with speakers from the University, Arm, Northern Gritstone, No. 10 North, UKRI and the British Chambers of Commerce.

Six Manchester founders pitched their innovations in lightning talks, and Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, gave the keynote before closing remarks from University of Manchester President and Vice-Chancellor, Duncan Ivison and Shaun Grady, UK Chair of AstraZeneca. The Investor Summit continued the conversation on growth capital in the afternoon. In the evening, University of Manchester founders pitched to investors, mentors and partners at Manchester Venture Builder Demo Day, also at Sister, while Holiferm’s co-founders shared how they built their biotechnology company at The Founders Playbook at Manchester Museum.

Co-opetition: the experiment linking two innovation powerhouses

Opening the summit, Faye Holland, Partnership Director of the Cambridge x Manchester Partnership, argued that the UK's challenge may be less about talent or funding than about systems. The partnership is the UK's first deliberately designed cross-city innovation partnership, with three objectives: driving economic growth, building for global growth, and making sure that growth is good growth that reaches communities beyond the innovation economy. Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said the UK too often gets caught in binaries, such as north versus south, and needs to "multiply our relationships, not narrow them" to compete globally.

“What typically happens is we compete. Our postcodes compete, our councils compete, our combined authorities compete… I wonder why we don't use the word co-opetition, where we bring collaboration and competition together in a really positive way… We only have three years from start to finish to prove that this model can actually work.” — Faye Holland, Partnership Director, The Cambridge x Manchester Partnership

“Cambridge and Manchester are not rivals; they are increasingly one ecosystem, and the UK innovation economy, as a whole, is stronger for it.” — Shaun Grady, UK Chair, AstraZeneca

Six ventures, five minutes each: Manchester’s ideas take the stage

Six lightning talks showed the kind of companies the partnership wants to help scale. Hosted by Dr Karim Bahou, Head of Innovation at Sister, the founders pitched for the audience’s vote. Alongside pitches from N:SYM and Nanoco, Spore Sense, which spun out of the University just four weeks ago, has developed a sensor that detects crop disease before symptoms appear. Silveray has invented flexible digital X-ray film for inspecting pipes and welds, an industry still largely reliant on analogue film. CircKit is helping fashion brands design waste out from the start, and Fava Health is bringing genomics into everyday healthcare for better personalised treatment.

“There is still a major imbalance in where innovation capital flows within the UK… Around 80% of venture capital still remains within London, Oxford and Cambridge… A big part of the opportunity is making it easier for founders to move between these two ecosystems, and share deal flow across both of these regions.” — Dr Karim A. Bahou, Head of Innovation, Sister

Competing with the world, not each other 

A panel chaired by Fiona Tuck of Metro Dynamics asked what Britain’s innovation economy still lacks. Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England, said the UK is too small to treat its regions as separate innovation ecosystems, with capital “stuck” in the places that are already well resourced. Harriet Gordon, Deputy Director at No. 10 North, said the UK’s real competition is Boston, Silicon Valley and Paris: for investors, the choice is rarely Manchester or Liverpool, but Manchester or Munich.  

In her keynote, Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said regions need to “complement each other, not just compete with each other”, and set out a vision of good growth that people can feel in their daily lives. 

“Simply creating growth to impact on someone’s bank balance, without seeing the number of jobs increase and the quality of someone’s life improve, is just growth for growth’s sake.” — Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester 

Announcements and developments 

• The Cambridge x Manchester Partnership will launch an “innovation passport” by the end of the year, giving founders and researchers easier access to office space, accelerator programmes, investors and corporate partners across both cities.
• A joint investment prospectus for Cambridge and Manchester is on its way, Shaun Grady, UK Chair of AstraZeneca, told the summit, urging investors to “get in early”. 

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival 

“I would hope that eight- and nine-year-olds growing up in Ardwick and Brunswick, right next to us, or a young person growing up in Rochdale, not only see the University as part of the place they live, but see it as theirs in some way.” — Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor, The University of Manchester 

“By 2035, I’d expect to see Graphene in many products, from shoes to clothing to computers to tyres to aircraft – not in there because it’s Graphene, but because it’s adding competitive advantage.” — James Baker, founder, Baker Graphene, and former Chief Executive, Graphene@Manchester 

Demo Day 

On Thursday evening, the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre and Venture Café Manchester hosted Manchester Venture Builder Demo Day 2026 at Sister. University of Manchester founders from the Venture Builder programme took to the stage to pitch ventures they had spent months testing and refining. They ranged from Remi, a platform that helps therapists manage clients and build personalised exercises, to a student startup growing organic bananas and drying them with solar power. Investors, mentors, alumni, corporate partners and a delegation from Hartford in the US then joined the founders for a showcase and networking reception, continuing the outward-looking theme of the day. 

“I’ve made more progress in the paste ten minutes of networking here than in the past 30 days of cold emailing and cold LinkedIn messaging!” — Jacob Katz, founder, AMBS, BSc Management with Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship 

"Innovation doesn't happen just because you have a great idea… Getting people that have money, people that have technology, people that know how to do business – you can't do it on your own, but you can pull them together into one location." — Gene Goddard, Chief Business Investment Officer, Metro Hartford 

Around the Festival 

Away from Sister, Sow the City shared community-led social innovation at Manchester Museum’s Growing Change event, and Sustainable Futures showcased funded projects at Inclusive Innovation for People and Planet. Beyond the Hearing Loop explored how Auracast audio technology could benefit deaf, hard-of-hearing and neurodivergent communities, and the University and national initiative, E3M met to discuss social enterprise innovation in public services. 

Coming up 

The Festival closes on Friday 9 October with the final of the Coller AI Competition, where University of Manchester AI startups pitch live for a £100,000 equity investment from The Jeremy Coller Foundation.  

The first cohort was recognised at a special celebration event on 24 September 2026, where participants received certificates marking the completion of the year-long programme. The event will also welcome the programme's second cohort as Teach Economics enters an ambitious new phase of growth.

Created in response to a shortage of specialist economics teachers and uneven access to economics education across the country, the programme supports qualified teachers to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to teach A Level economics alongside their existing subject specialism. The training is provided at no cost to participating teachers or their schools.

Following a successful first year in North-West England, the programme is expanding significantly during the 2026/27 academic year. Teachers from selected regions across England and Wales will be able to take part, extending the programme's reach to more schools and colleges. A UK-wide expansion is planned for the 2027/28 academic year, creating even further opportunities for teachers and students to benefit from the initiative.

The programme was launched following research commissioned by the Bank of England and undertaken by FFT Education Datalab, which highlighted significant disparities in who studies economics. The research found striking differences in participation by region, socio-economic background, school type and gender, despite economics becoming increasingly popular in recent years.

Research findings showed that students in some regions are substantially less likely to study economics than those in London, while disadvantaged pupils continue to be underrepresented in the subject. Around 70% of economics students are male, highlighting ongoing challenges in widening participation.

The celebration event brought together teachers, University colleagues, Bank of England representatives and education partners to recognise the achievements of the inaugural cohort and explore the opportunities ahead as the programme continues to expand. The programme's second cohort will begin their studies during the 2026/27 academic year. 

An international team of Astronomers including researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Oxford have used a combination of the MeerKAT telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope to identify the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) seen to date.

Published today in Science, the new findings show that the host galaxy of the FRB is surprisingly small and young which suggests that there is little delay between when galaxies form stars and when they become capable of generating FRBs.

The record breaker dates back to just 3 billion years after the big bang though the origin of such events, remains uncertain. First discovered in 2007, FRBs are enigmatic, millisecond-long flashes of radio emission from the distant universe. Their finding has implications for what kind of energetic event creates these bursts.

The MeerTRAP team, led by Ben Stappers at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, used the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa to detect the burst on March 4, 2024, leading to its designation as FRB 20240304B. The radio emission from this burst suggested that it was extremely distant, possibly the most distant one seen to date.

“The host sticks out in the whole galaxy sample that we have. And it was not what we were expecting,” said Ben Stappers of The University of Manchester, a co-author on the paper. “This combination of using the MeerTRAP project on the MeerKAT telescope to discover and localize these distant bursts and Webb to study their hosts is very exciting.”

Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument detected a galaxy in the right location, and found that the FRB corresponded to a time just 3 billion years after the big bang. The vast majority of FRBs detected to date occurred billions of years later in cosmic history.

“What makes fast radio bursts interesting is that we don't know what generates them. We have theories for what objects produce them, but we don't have conclusive proof,” said Manisha Caleb of the University of Sydney, lead author on the study.

The team discovered that the host galaxy of FRB 20240304B was not typical of other galaxies with FRBs. Most FRB galaxies are massive star-forming galaxies, but the galaxy they found was 1,000 times less massive than they expected.

“We thought it would be a big, nicely formed galaxy with lots of stars, and instead it was a little dwarf galaxy, although it was actively forming stars,” said Caleb.

The galaxy existed at the height of “cosmic noon” – a period in the history of the universe when star formation was at its peak. The galaxy’s rate of star formation suggested that the majority of its stars may have formed within just 30 million years.

This has important implications for the origin of fast radio bursts. One theory suggests that FRBs may originate from the merger of two neutron stars, whilst a second theory proposes that an FRB can originate from a single, young, highly magnetic neutron star known as a magnetar through a mechanism like starquakes.

“Our work suggests that it’s very unlikely that this FRB was produced by a merger,” said Caleb.

In addition to being a record-holder, the new FRB enabled the team to learn more about the billions of light-years of apparently empty space between the burst and Earth.

Dr Kaustubh Rajwade from the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford and co-author of the study led the software development that enabled localising the FRB. "MeerKAT is uniquely placed to find FRBs at such distances and it’s one of the few telescopes that can find FRBs from the early days of the Universe and probe important epochs in our Cosmic history” said Dr. Rajwade.

In the future, the team is excited about the potential to discover more distant FRBs. They estimate that the MeerKAT telescope may be able to detect and localize several FRBs per year potentially dating more than halfway back to the start of the universe. As other new radio telescope facilities and instruments come online, that discovery pace may grow. The Webb telescope will be essential for characterizing those distant host galaxies.

In the first study of its kind, published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, the scientists show how changes in this gene can cause a much milder disease than previously known

They identified that in 14 patients with retinitis pigmentosa, it was caused by certain combinations of faults in a gene called IDUA.

The gene is normally associated with mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), a rare disorder that can cause severe physical disability, heart problems, skeletal abnormalities and shortened life expectancy.

Yet several of the patients in the study showed no signs of the disorder despite detailed medical assessments and follow-up into their forties, fifties, sixties and seventies.

Their failing eyesight was the first and sometimes only clue to an underlying health problem.

The findings suggest some people with retinitis pigmentosa may actually have an extremely mild form of a metabolic disease that has gone unrecognised for decades.

The discovery expands our understanding of MPS I and reveals that the condition can exist in a much milder form than previously thought.

None of the patients carried the combinations of severe genetic faults normally seen in classic MPS I.

Instead, they carried milder combinations of gene faults in IDUA.

Through a series of lab experiments, the scientists found these milder faults act in different ways - some directly reducing the enzyme's activity, others disrupting the gene's splicing instructions - but in each case leaving behind only a tiny fraction, as little as 0.5 to 2 per cent, of normal function.

The scientists suspect this tiny amount of residual activity may be enough to protect most organs from damage while leaving the retina vulnerable.

One theory is that the eye may be especially sensitive to defects in the body's cellular recycling machinery because of its exceptionally high energy demands.

The findings could have implications for genetic screening programmes designed to identify rare diseases, including MPS I, in newborn babies.

And they also underline the importance of including IDUA and related metabolic genes in genetic testing for inherited retinal diseases.

Lead author Dr Siying Lin from The University of Manchester said: "This study shows that the same gene can cause dramatically different disease outcomes, depending on how much of its related enzyme activity remains.

“In some patients we found almost no evidence of the devastating multisystem disorder typically associated with IDUA - their disease appeared confined to the retina, the mildest presentation we've seen to date.

“These findings broaden the recognised spectrum of disease, improve diagnosis for patients with inherited blindness, and provide important clues about why the retina appears especially susceptible to even very small reductions in enzyme function.

“We hope they will help clinicians identify hitherto unrecognised cases of IDUA-related disease and pave the way for future treatments aimed at preserving vision before irreversible damage occurs.”

• The paper Hypomorphic IDUA genotypes are associated with retinitis pigmentosa in individuals without syndromic mucopolysaccharidosis type I , published in The American Journal of Human Genetics,  is available at DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2026.09.008

Children as young as five can engage meaningfully with complex ideas about human rights, new research from The University of Manchester suggests.

The study explored how children aged five to nine understood human rights through their engagement with Dreams of Freedom, a picturebook based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Dr Rebecca Simpson-Hargreaves found that children were able to interpret ideas about rights through their own experiences, cultural knowledge and conversations with other children - challenging assumptions that human rights are too complex for young children to understand.

Children develop their own ideas about rights

The research found that children did more than simply identify or explain the rights presented in the picturebook.

When invited to create their own rights pages, children came up with ideas including the “Freedom to protect wildlife”, the idea that “Men and women should have the same rights”, and the “Freedom to love”.

Other contributions focused on empathy and kindness, having choices, rest and play, fairness and protection.

Dr Simpson-Hargreaves says these responses show how children can interpret human rights through everyday experiences of care, fairness and belonging, rather than only through formal definitions of rights.

Children question the adult world

The research also found that children were capable of reflecting critically on the relationship between children and adults.

Some children questioned whether adults really understand children's perspectives and why adults' views are often given greater weight. This included one Year 4 pupil who said: “Adults think that because they run the country that they know best.”

The researchers say such responses demonstrate children's awareness of power relationships between adults and children.

Giving children different ways to speak

The research involved interviews, focus groups and creative activities with children in three primary schools.

Using a picturebook alongside discussion and drawing allowed children with different reading, writing and speaking abilities to express their ideas in different ways.

The research found that the whole picturebook provided a stronger basis for children's deeper reasoning than using isolated extracts. The open-ended format gave children opportunities to interpret the material for themselves and develop their own ideas.

The findings suggest that providing children with genuine opportunities to discuss complex issues can reveal forms of reasoning that may otherwise be overlooked.

“Picturebooks can provide a valuable starting point for these conversations, particularly when children are given the space to lead discussions and explore ideas in their own ways.”

Publication details

Title:
Investigating Children’s Perceptions of Human Rights Values Through the Picturebook Medium

URL:
https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/1900836669/FULL_TEXT.PDF

The University of Manchester celebrated the very best in collaboration and knowledge exchange on Wednesday 7 October at the inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards, recognising the people, projects and organisations delivering outstanding impact through partnership working.

Held at the Whitworth Art Gallery as part of the University's Innovation Festival, the awards brought together academics, researchers, professional services colleagues and their external partners and collaborators for an evening of celebration. The inaugural awards attracted more than 120 nominations, with 25 partnerships shortlisted across eight awards. They were organised by the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange team, led by Dr Louise Bates, Director of Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange, and hosted by compere Adam Lovell.

Welcoming guests, Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation, said partnership runs through the University's Manchester 2035 strategy. “No matter how good we are as a university, we can only have the scale of impact we want by working with others,” he said. Over the past year, he added, the University has created 191 new business partnerships, around one for every working day, and now ranks first in the UK for contract research with small and medium-sized enterprises.

The awards, Professor Holden said, were about “recognising the people and relationships that make those projects possible… We all know that partnership working depends on brave people.”

This year's winners demonstrate the impact of collaboration across research and innovation, business growth, social enterprise, regional development and strategic industry engagement.

Strategic Alliance Excellence

🏆 Boots / No7 & Prof. Michael Sherratt and Dr. Abigail Langton

The long-standing partnership between Boots / No7 and The University of Manchester was recognised for its outstanding contribution to skin science and evidence-based skincare. Over more than two decades, the collaboration has translated world-leading research into products used by millions of consumers while generating significant research outputs, investment and innovation.

Regional Partnership Excellence

🏆 United Utilities & Prof. Timothy Foster

United Utilities was recognised for a long-standing collaboration with the University covering areas including integrated water management, digitisation, robotics, sustainability and skills development. The partnership has helped inform major regional initiatives and continues to support innovation and economic growth across the North-West.

Research Collaboration Excellence

🏆 FUJIFILM & Prof. Alan Dickson

The partnership between FUJIFILM and the University was recognised for advancing bioprocessing and biomanufacturing research through the Centre of Excellence in Bioprocessing 2.0. The collaboration has supported researchers and PhD students, generated high-quality publications and strengthened the translation of research into industrial applications and novel biological medicines.

Social Enterprise Excellence

🏆 One World Together & Prof. Nicola Banks

One World Together received the award for its partnership with the University to support changemaking education, community engagement and social impact. The collaboration has secured funding to work with schools across Greater Manchester, provided valuable opportunities for students, and supported community-led organisations both in the UK and internationally.

Small Business Partnership Excellence

🏆 Saraco Industries Ltd & Prof. Sarah Cartmell and Prof. Andrew McBain

Saraco Industries Ltd was recognised for a highly successful partnership that has combined academic expertise with industrial innovation to develop plastic-free clinical disinfection wipes for healthcare applications, while strengthening the company's research and development capability. The collaboration has evolved through multiple projects and demonstrates the long-term value of university-SME partnerships.

Academic Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Champion

🏆 Dr Thomas Bannan

Dr Thomas Bannan was recognised for an extensive portfolio of partnerships that translate atmospheric science into public, environmental and economic benefit. His work spans collaboration with local authorities, industry, policymakers and communities, including leadership of air quality initiatives, Innovate UK projects and the £1.3 million RAMMIC Retrofit Innovation Centre.

Business Partnership Rising Star

🏆 Dr Milo Harries

Dr Milo Harries received the Rising Star Award for his work with Leeds City Council and the Aire Resilience Company, using creative and participatory approaches to engage communities around climate resilience and natural flood management. His work has helped strengthen cross-sector collaboration and support the growth of the Aire Resilience Company as a Community Interest Company.

Partnership Excellence of the Year

🏆 Saraco Industries Ltd & Prof. Sarah Cartmell and Prof. Andrew McBain

The evening's highest accolade, Partnership Excellence of the Year, was awarded to Saraco Industries Ltd in recognition of the depth, longevity and impact of its collaboration with the University. Through multiple collaborative projects, the partnership has combined expertise in bioengineering, microbiology and materials science to drive innovation, support business growth and develop new healthcare solutions with real-world impact.

An evening of partnership

The winners' trophies were designed and manufactured by students in the University's Makerspace, reflecting the creativity and collaboration at the heart of the celebration. The shortlist was reviewed by a panel of 21 judges from academia, leadership, professional services and innovation.

Rising Star category shortlisted nominee Dr Amy Worth had partnered with Eli Lilly and Company for a decade to study the complex neuronal circuitry that underpins the actions of GLP-1 drugs to combat diabetes, obesity and cravings for alcohol. She and lab group lead Professor Simon Luckman said that trust is at the heart of the partnership. “We’ve built it up over 20 years, so now there is very open and honest exchange.”

For Dr Joanne Tippett, whose RoundView project was also shortlisted, a good partnership requires: “It takes the ability to try something out and find out it doesn't work and learn from that and keep going and iterating on an idea.”

Congratulations to all finalists and the many colleagues, support staff and external partners whose commitment and collaboration underpins the success that these Partnership Excellence Awards celebrated in style.

Wednesday was the Festival’s busiest day yet. At Manchester to Market, spinouts supported by The University of Manchester Innovation Factory showcased their work on the ground floor of University Place, from AI-guided enzyme engineering to virtual reality healthcare training and research-led theatre.

A short walk away in Whitworth Hall, the Powerhouse of Innovation Showcase brought together the teams, programmes and partners that help those ideas grow, including a new collaboration between the Innovate UK Innovation-to-Commercialisation of University Research programme (ICURe) and the Henry Royce Institute.

In the evening, the inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards at the Whitworth celebrated the partnerships behind the University’s impact. The evening’s highest accolade, Partnership Excellence of the Year, went to Saraco Industries Ltd, Professor Sarah Cartmell and Professor Andrew McBain, whose collaboration has developed plastic-free clinical disinfection wipes for healthcare.

From enzymes to the stage: Manchester’s spinouts step into the spotlight

Manchester to Market filled the ground floor of University Place with spinouts supported by The University of Manchester Innovation Factory, whose portfolio now numbers around 84 companies worth an estimated £400–500 million. The ventures exhibiting were at very different stages. Among them, Imperagen uses an AI-led robotic lab to engineer enzymes for manufacturers. GiFT, an electromagnetic guidance system for tracheostomy procedures, improved needle accuracy fourfold in trials on mannequins, and its team estimates it could save the NHS around £50 million a year. Not every venture was a technology: Tiny Human Dramas turns anthropological research into short pieces of theatre.

“If it hadn’t been for the Innovation Factory, I wouldn’t have known I belonged in this space… In the arts, a little bit of attention and a little bit of funding goes a long way. The more of us that are in this scene, the more it’ll feel like this is innovation, of a particular kind.” — Megan Rose Donnelly, Lecturer in Social Anthropology and founder of Tiny Human Dramas

The innovation ecosystem backing Manchester’s bright ideas

The Powerhouse of Innovation Showcase in the Whitworth Hall brought together some 25 of the teams, programmes and partners that help ideas grow across the University, and one new collaboration showcased one way in which those pieces can connect. The Innovate UK ICURe programme, ran across the North from The University of Manchester, helps “commercially curious” academics find out whether there is a real market for their research by getting out and talking to potential customers, investors and regulators. Starting later this month, ICURe’s latest local endeavour will bring cohorts of materials researchers at the Henry Royce Institute together with business mentors and potential customers, adding commercial know-how to the equipment and expertise Royce already opens up to researchers, spinouts, and SMEs.

“The best part of this job is, without a shadow of a doubt, talking to these entrepreneurial leads and seeing their personal development growth… to see the light bulb come on above their head.” — Veronica Ferguson, Head of Regional Hub Operations Manager, Innovate UK ICURe

“Don’t put risk-averseness in front of innovation… In order to innovate, in order to keep moving, we’ve got to expand our boundaries… We’ve got to have the freedom to think, the freedom to challenge, the freedom to question and test. Those are the core fundamentals.” — Saeed Adam, Client Relations Manager, Executive Education, Alliance Manchester Business School

Inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards celebrate Manchester's collaborators

The University celebrated its most impactful collaborations on Wednesday evening at the inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards, held at the Whitworth Art Gallery as part of the Innovation Festival.

Organised by the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange team, directed by Dr Louise Bates, the awards drew more than 120 nominations. The joyous event brought 25 shortlisted partnerships together, adding an extra layer of connection between academics, industry, public sector and community collaborators.

Congratulations to everyone, especially each category winner:

• Regional Partnership – United Utilities with Prof. Tim Foster, Department of Civil Engineering and Management.
• Social Enterprise Partnership – One World Together with Prof. Nicola Banks, Global Development Institute, School of Environment, Education and Development.
• Strategic Alliance – Boots/No 7 with Prof. Michael Sherratt and Dr Abigail Langton, School of Biological Sciences.
• Small Business Partnership – Saraco Industries Ltd with Prof. Sarah Cartmell and Prof. Andrew McBain, Department of Materials and School of Biological Sciences.
• Research collaboration – FUJIFILM with Prof. Alan Dickson
• Academic Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Champion – Dr Thomas Bannan.
• Business Partner Rising Star – Dr Milo Harries.

The multidisciplinary partnership with Saraco Industries also won the Partnership of the Year Award. The relationship began with an award-winning Knowledge Exchange Partnership in 2021 that advanced materials science, biophysics and microbiology expertise into the business, enabling development of plastic-free clinical disinfection wipes that met stringent EN standards. The partnership deepened with further projects to on formulation development and collaboration on a clear, data-driven R&D roadmap. A second KTP is now developing bacteriophage-infused wipes for healthcare applications.

Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation, said: “Partnership working depends on brave people.” The University applauds all the pioneers and risk-takers nominated for these awards.

Read the full awards story story.

Announcements and developments

• On Tuesday evening, the University celebrated the completion of William Kay House, putting innovation at the heart of campus and creating a new home for Unit M.

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival

“If by 2035 we can tangibly say that, through the things we’ve supported, we have improved quality of lives, through environmental and social impact, I would feel extremely proud.” — Catherine Headley, Chief Executive Officer, The University of Manchester Innovation Factory

“I’d love one of our spinouts to get to the scale where they’re employing 10,000 people. It’s about jobs, and the impact that has. For me, that’s what it’s all about.” — Nic Gowland, Portfolio Director, The University of Manchester Innovation Factory

“Next month we’ll use it in patients in hospital… This could actually save people’s lives.” — Professor Andy Weightman, Professor of Medical Mechatronics, The University of Manchester, on his hopes for the GiFT guidance system

Around the Festival

Beyond the core events, the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre hosted an Enterprise Educators UK exchange event on partner-enabled learning, bringing together academics, University colleagues, students and industry representatives to explore how industry partnerships can be built into enterprise and entrepreneurship education. At Contact Theatre, Creative Manchester’s Re-imagining Innovation: The Value of Creative Practices, part of The Cultural Welcome festival, explored how creative writers and artists approach ideas about innovation – a fitting companion to the theatre of Tiny Human Dramas at Manchester to Market.

Coming up

On Thursday 8 October, the Cambridge x Manchester Partnership Innovation Summit brings founders, researchers, investors and policymakers to Sister / Renold Building (8.45am–1.30pm), followed by the invite-only Investor Summit (1.30pm–5pm).

University founders then pitch at Manchester Venture Builder Demo Day 2026, also at Sister (5pm–8.30pm), while Holiferm’s co-founders share their story at The Founders Playbook, Manchester Museum (5pm–7pm).

Fringe events include:

• Growing Change: Social Innovation from the Ground Up
• Social Enterprise Innovation in Public Services
• Inclusive Innovation for People and Planet
• Beyond the Hearing Loop: How Auracast is Transforming Accessibility at Manchester.