Innovation powerhouse
Europe's most impactful and inclusive ecosystem
Full strategy
We will become Europe’s most inclusive and impactful innovation network – turning ideas into impact faster, with our partners, and for more people.
At Manchester, innovation means more than technology: from student-led enterprises to civic collaborations, everyone will have the chance to contribute to progress that changes lives locally and globally.
“We have a shared purpose, and I feel part of something ambitious.”
Innovation here is not just about new technologies, but new ways of doing things that enable people to flourish and society to progress. We’re embedding entrepreneurship across the University so staff, students, partners and communities can all take part.
Through Unit M and our wider innovation network – the Innovation Factory, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, Sister and beyond – we’re connecting ideas, expertise and investment to create real solutions.
We’ll be recognised as Europe’s most collaborative innovation ecosystem – where discoveries transform into ventures, community projects and cultural change, and where skills and opportunities are shared more widely across our region.
Make innovation part of everyday life at Manchester.
Support entrepreneurship for all and be the university of choice for starting your own company or social enterprise.
Grow a wide network of supporters, including funders and business leaders, to expand our ecosystem beyond campus.
Provide clearer, faster pathways for people inside and outside the University to collaborate.
Unit M gives partners one front door and clear routes to our skills and expertise, so ideas move to impact faster.
Deepen links across Greater Manchester and the North so innovation creates good jobs, health improvements and cultural growth.
Develop Manchester’s newest innovation district, Sister, building a hub for spinouts, partners and communities.
Work with civic partners, further education providers and employers to ensure innovation skills and opportunities reach more people.
Realising the ambitions of our strategy will define our next decade and beyond, but some of our ideas are already in motion. These initiatives are helping us to test, learn and refine how we deliver foundations and leaps.
Teaching beyond campus
Bringing our civic mission to life
A gateway to innovation
We’ll be known for discovery and challenge-led research – tackling society’s hardest problems and delivering impact fast. Connecting people, ideas and infrastructure, we’ll turn knowledge into action across health, climate, culture, advanced materials and AI.
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We’re creating a new kind of student experience – flexible, connected and personalised – blending digital innovation with in-person support and combining hands-on, partner-enabled learning with our local and global connections.
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We’ll be the partner of choice for those who share our commitment to excellence and turning knowledge into impact for the public good. Our collaborations will reflect who we are – open, values-led and focused on making a difference.
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We’ll create inclusive, people-led digital environments. Through Manchester Online we’ll expand access locally and globally. Building digital skills for all, tackling digital poverty and using AI responsibly, we’ll use technology to empower rather than exclude.
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