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    • Levelling up

Levelling up

Bridging divides through research, innovation and investment

A landscape of city buildings, hills and wind turbines on a purple background that all allude to levelling up.
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    • Levelling up
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Levelling up at Manchester

How does the country 'level up'? How can we bridge the divide in opportunities and investment across the UK?

Our history as England's first civic university is closely entwined with that of Manchester, the world's first modern industrial city. Since our foundations, we've been ambitious in our pursuit of new ideas, prepared to challenge the traditional way of doing things in order to transform lives for the better.

Discover how we're working to challenge inequalities and embrace new opportunities through research, innovation and investment.

Watch the full conversation

Find out more about the levelling up agenda and watch the full conversation on YouTube.

Our expertise

In a series of Policy@Manchester blogs, our academics address some of the policy challenges around how to level up the economy and society.

Find out more about how we're addressing policy challenges

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Civic engagement

Our work is connected to, and inspired by, our location in Greater Manchester. Improving lives across the city and region is a core part of our vision and strategic plan.

Find out more about our civic engagement

Rochdale Canal, Manchester, England (UK).

Global inequalities

This research beacon is dedicated to advancing our understanding of the world we live in, while providing solutions to local, regional and national inequalities.

Find out more about our global inequalities research beacon

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ID Manchester

Innovation District (ID) Manchester will be built in the heart of the city centre, setting a new exemplar for innovation districts and urban renewal.

Find out more about ID Manchester

A vision for the future Innovation District with co-working spaces for businesses.

Research

Pioneering solutions to global challenges

We're ranked among the world's leading research universities, with a record of path-breaking interdisciplinary collaborations that deliver radical solutions.

We bring together expertise across economics, politics, sociology, education, innovation and beyond to address the myriad of challenges that exist on a local, national and international scale.

Discover our range of research projects that are tackling key issues, like making the economy more productive or delivering sustainable and inclusive urban regeneration.

Our research activity on society and culture helps to plot the way forward for a more balanced economy and more equitable country.

On Productivity

Analysis and ideas on addressing the gaps in economic performance across the UK.

Find out more about the North West's productivity crisis

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North inequalities deepen in pandemic

Report finds northerners spent more time in lockdown, were made poorer, and suffered worse mental health than the rest of England in the pandemic's first year.

Find out more about northern inequalities during the pandemic

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A mission to level up the UK

Prof Kieron Flanagan analyses the promises and challenges of the government's Levelling Up White Paper.

Find out more about the mission to level up the UK.

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Innovation

Shaping sustainable economic growth

Transformative ideas have shaped Manchester's past and we're continuing the tradition as we look towards the future.

We're establishing ourselves at the forefront of innovation and using it to shape sustainable economic growth – a key element of any levelling up agenda.

Explore the initiatives we're leading to deliver positive impacts for the environment, healthcare and more.

Opinion: levelling up through innovation

Professor Richard Jones explains why Greater Manchester is ideally placed to lead a northern R&D revolution.

Find out more about the innovation gap.

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Northern Gritstone

This investment company is dedicated to financing academic spin-outs in the UK’s fastest-growing sectors, such as advanced materials, energy and health technology.

Find out more about the Northern Gritstone project.

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Health Innovation Manchester

Established in 2017, this academic and scientific collective is at the forefront of transforming the health and wellbeing of Greater Manchester’s 2.8 million citizens.

Find out more about Health Innovation Manchester

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Investment

Boosting education, employment and infrastructure

As a proud Manchester institution, we're committed to investing in the people and infrastructure of our city and our wider region.

Every year we create 18,000 jobs and add more than £1.7 billion to the gross value added (GVA) of the city region.

Learn more about how we're increasing our contribution through a range of activities that boost education, skills and employment. 

Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute

AMPI, in partnership with NPL and others, will support leading-edge innovation, drive productivity, and make Rochdale and the north of England a globally competitive hub for advanced machinery.

Find out more about the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute

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Skills and participation

We’re supporting our local community to access higher education, skills and jobs through a range of initiatives, including The Works, our unique employment partnership.

Find out more about the Works

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Innovation GM

We're partnering with leading innovators from business, science, academia and local government to deliver a fairer, greener and more productive Greater Manchester economy beyond the pandemic.

Find out more about Innovation GM

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Research Institutes

The Productivity Institute

The Productivity Institute (TPI) investigates how productivity across the whole of the UK can be enhanced to improve living standards and wellbeing.

Find out more about the productivity institute.

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Work and Equalities Institute

This institute brings together international research expertise to promote fairness and inclusivity at work.

Find out more about the work and equalities institute

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Manchester Institute of Education

Facilitating research at the cutting-edge of theory and practice, MIE contributes to policy change while training the next generation of teachers.

Find out more about the Manchester Institute of Education

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Manchester Urban Institute

A leader in urban research, focusing on the global north and south, MUI champions inter-disciplinary research to realise more inclusive, sustainable cities.

Find out more about the Manchester Urban Institute

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Manchester Institute of Innovation Research

This centre of excellence in the field of innovation studies builds on a 50-year tradition of innovation and science studies in Manchester.

Find out more about the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research

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News and events

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Greater Manchester awarded its largest ever research funding to tackle health inequalities and drive

£59.1 million has been awarded to the city region to improve patient’s lives in Greater Manchester.

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Landmark report on levelling up features Manchester academics

The report looks into the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper and features crucial evidence from The University of Manchester’s academics.

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Research shows impact of Greater Manchester Universities as Civic University Agreement reaches miles

Research has shown the impact of Greater Manchester’s universities on the city region, its people, and businesses, one year on from the signing of a flagship agreement.

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Major “levelling up” report launches in Rochdale

Senior academics, policy makers, local government officials and business people have gathered in Rochdale for the launch of a major new report written by experts from The University of Manchester.

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SCI Director speaking at Conservative Party Fringe event

SCI Mat Paterson spoke at the Policy@Manchester Conservative Party Conference fringe event 'Can renewables catalyse levelling up and tackle the cost of living?'

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R&D collaboration between leading and lagging areas of the UK would boost innovation

MIOIR Researcher Raquel Ortega-Argilés has written a piece in the latest issue of Research Foresight exploring regional inequalities.

Our work

Together, we can tackle inequalities

At Manchester, we're committed to addressing issues of social justice, whether it involves responding to the government's levelling up agenda or widening participation in our programmes.

Whatever your discipline or interest, work with us to help create a better future for communities and businesses in Greater Manchester and across the country.

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