The University of Manchester placed fifth in the UK and 50th globally in the Global Employability University Ranking 2027, published by Times Higher Education. This represents an improvement from 56th place globally in the 2026 ranking.

The ranking, designed by HR consultancy Emerging, identifies the universities that recruiters at leading companies believe are best at preparing students for the workplace. A total of 17 UK universities feature among the 300 institutions included globally.

The result follows further recognition of Manchester’s strong links with employers. Earlier this year, the University was ranked first in the UK for graduate employer interest in High Fliers' The Graduate Market in 2026, based on research with 100 of the UK’s leading graduate employers.

Professor Jenn Hallam, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students said: “This recognition reflects the strength of our students and graduates, as well as our close relationships with employers. We want our students to leave Manchester with the knowledge, skills, experience and confidence they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world of work.”

The University of Manchester is taking practical steps to support graduate employability through placements, micro-internships and closer working with business. These opportunities enable students to apply their learning, build confidence and take their first steps into employment.

In other rankings during 2026 The University of Manchester was placed 40th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and first in the world in the 2026 Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings. Manchester also retained its place among the UK’s top six universities in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Physicists have found evidence of a particle decay so rare that it is expected to occur only around once in every 10 billion ‘beauty’ particles.

The result, from the upgraded LHCb experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), follows a search spanning more than 40 years and brings physicists closer to exploring the ‘Zeptoverse’ – an unexplored world that exists at distances of a billionth of a trillionth of a metre, or a ‘zeptometre’, where new particles and forces of nature may be hiding.

Researchers from The University of Manchester have played key roles in the LHCb experiment and its major upgrade - which can now collect data at up to five times its previous rate - including developing detector technology that has helped make the new measurement possible.

The finding will allow physicists to test the Standard Model, our current best theory of fundamental particles and their interactions, with greater precision and search for signs of particles or forces that may lie beyond it

Searching for signs of new physics

The LHCb studies particles containing beauty quarks, heavier relatives of the up and down quarks found in the ordinary matter around us.

Beauty quarks are produced in huge numbers in collisions at the LHC but exist for only around one and a half trillionths of a second before decaying.

By making precise measurements of the different ways beauty quarks decay, physicists can detect the influence of new particles that may be far too small to see at the LHC.

The rarer a decay is, the more sensitive it can be to the influence of new particles. These particles could alter how often the decay occurs.

The new result concerns a particularly rare decay known as ‘Bd to mu mu’, in which a particle containing a beauty quark decays into two muons, heavier relatives of electrons.

Scientists predict that this happens only around once in every 10 billion beauty particles. Until now, no single experiment had found solid evidence for the process.

The new measurement reached a statistical significance of 3.2 sigma. This is sufficient for physicists to describe the result as the first evidence of the decay, although further data will be needed to reach the five-sigma threshold required to claim a discovery in particle physics.

Professor Chris Parkes, Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester, led the international LHCb collaboration through the construction of the upgrade and led the collaboration's approval of the new result.

He said: “The upgraded LHCb was a major undertaking - a fifteen-year design and construction project from a 1900 international member collaboration.

“The UK made the largest nation contribution to the project, pioneering new technologies that have made today’s result possible where we probe nature at a new scale. But this is also just the start, we are planning the construction of an experiment that will exploit the capabilities of the next generation High Luminosity LHC, probing physics at an even smaller scale.”

Professor Parkes, who was made a Fellow of the Royal Society earlier this year for his work on LHCb added: “This decay is remarkably unlikely, the chance of it happening is roughly like going on a romantic date and, on your very first try, finding the one perfect match for you among everyone on Earth.”

A major UK-built component of the upgraded LHCb experiment is a silicon pixel detector that tracks the paths of particles created in collisions at the LHC with extreme precision.

Known as the Vertex Locator, it sits just five millimetres from the LHC beams and enables scientists to pinpoint where particles are produced and where they decay.

Dr Stefano De Capua, who led the construction of the detectors at The University of Manchester added: “We worked with nearly 90 UK companies to construct this detector and trained the next generation of scientists and engineers on the novel technologies we are using. It is these detectors that we use to locate where the beauty meson was produced and pinpoint where it decayed into two muons.”

Into the ‘Zeptoverse’

The physicists hope measurements such as this could allow them to probe the ‘Zeptoverse’, referring to extraordinarily small distance scales where currently unknown particles and forces may be hiding.

While they know the new measurement agrees with the predictions of the Standard Model, increasingly precise measurements of these rare decays could help physicists search for signs of new physics and reveal where the model might eventually begin to break down.

Professor Conor Fitzpatrick of The University of Manchester and Deputy Physics Coordinator of the international LHCb collaboration, said: “There has been a more than forty year long search by physicists worldwide to observe this decay. It is a golden channel to observe the effects of new physics from beyond our current knowledge.

“The results from this experiment are expanding our understanding of nature at its most fundamental level. We are excited to have finally seen this elusive signal and looking forward to the future discoveries that will come from our data.”

What happens next?

The upgraded experiment is expected to collect a much larger dataset into the early 2030s, allowing physicists to study the decay with increasing precision.

A further planned upgrade could increase the rate of data collection by another factor of ten, enabling more precise measurements of these decays and giving physicists greater sensitivity to undiscovered particles at even shorter distances.

Professor Brian Cox, Particle Physicist at The University of Manchester, who was not involved in the experiment, said: “This is an important result and a beautiful example of how science advances. We upgrade our instruments and we see nature in greater detail. Occasionally we see something we don’t understand, and then progress is made. We cannot know whether this progress will be incremental or genuinely world-changing - that’s science! LHCb is a major scientific success.”

The experiment is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council as part of UK Research and Innovation. The UK LHCb collaboration includes researchers from ten UK Universities and the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

The University of Manchester has appointed Professor Lee Pugalis as Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC).

MEC is the University’s home for enterprise and entrepreneurship, working with students and graduates from every discipline. Through its strategy, Manchester 2035, the University has committed to supporting entrepreneurship for all and to becoming the university of choice for starting a company or social enterprise. Lee will lead MEC in making that ambition a reality: building students’ entrepreneurial skills and employability, supporting ventures that create jobs and social impact, and turning research into innovative businesses.

“Manchester has always been a city of innovators, and the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre plays a vital role in nurturing the next generation of founders, changemakers and problem-solvers. I’m thrilled to lead the centre at such an exciting time, working with our fantastic team, students and partners to make entrepreneurship truly open to all.” Professor Lee Pugalis, Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

Lee joined MEC as Deputy Director in August 2023 and has led the centre as Interim Director since January 2026, guiding it through its transition into Unit M. He takes up the role at a time of strong momentum. The number of start-ups launched each year has more than doubled over the past three years, growing at an average of nearly 30% annually, with a record 81 new start-ups launched in 2025/26. The alumni ventures MEC has helped develop have secured more than £495 million in investment over the past five years. In 2025/26, MEC also supported over 520 early-stage entrepreneurs in the first year of its new four-pathway model, and 1,790 students enrolled across 30 course units representing all three faculties.

MEC has supported student and graduate entrepreneurs for over 25 years. Its professional services team has now moved into Unit M, the University’s gateway to innovation, working alongside academic colleagues based within the world-leading Innovation, Management and Policy division at Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS).

As Director, Lee will lead MEC’s team of around 30 academic and professional services colleagues, bringing together its curricular and co-curricular activity. He will deepen MEC’s partnership with AMBS, strengthen links with faculties and schools, and scale opportunities so that all 47,000 of the University’s students can take part, whatever their discipline. This includes partner-enabled learning, through which students work with employers, public bodies and community organisations as part of their course for credit.

“Lee’s appointment is excellent news for the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre and for Alliance Manchester Business School. He brings a strong track record of leadership, collaboration and a clear commitment to making entrepreneurship accessible to students from every discipline. Under his direction, MEC will strengthen its deep roots within AMBS while extending its reach and impact across the University through Unit M. I look forward to working with Lee as we equip more students and researchers with the skills, confidence and connections to turn bold ideas into ventures that deliver economic and social value.”
Professor Ken McPhail, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School

MEC is also home to the University’s flagship student entrepreneurship competitions, which offer equity-free funding and support to student and graduate founders. In 2026, 29 finalists were selected from around 200 applications to compete for 11 awards across four tracks, sharing a record £200,000 prize pot. Eligible applications were up 48% on the previous year.

MEC hosted three events at the University’s inaugural Innovation Festival this year, attracting more than 300 attendees:

· Ideas Unlocked: an interactive workshop introducing entrepreneurship and innovation to students, whatever their experience

· Partner-Enabled Learning Exchange: a session exploring how to embed industry partnerships into enterprise and entrepreneurship education

· Manchester Venture Builder Demo Day 2026: delivered with Venture Cafe Manchester, where emerging University founders pitched to investors, mentors, alumni and ecosystem leaders

Lee’s appointment comes as the University delivers A Powerhouse of Innovation, its plan to become Europe’s most inclusive and impactful innovation ecosystem by 2035. With entrepreneurship embedded across the curriculum and co-curriculum, MEC will help develop the innovation-savvy entrepreneurs and workforce of the future, creating jobs, ventures and impact for Manchester and beyond.

Find out more about MEC and how to get involved on the centre’s website.

Discover more about Unit M.

Birds may not always take the flight path that physics suggests is the perfect landing, at the safest and lowest possible speed, using the least energy, according to new research.

Most birds flap their wings as they come in to land, despite powered flight requiring more energy than gliding. Now, researchers at The University of Manchester have used mathematical modelling to help explain why.

The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, found that a bird flying without flapping its wings could, in theory, reach zero speed just as it touches down. However, the manoeuvre would require much higher approach speeds and considerably more space than birds typically use when landing.

For a pigeon-sized bird, the model showed that reaching zero speed would require it to begin at more than twice its typical cruising speed, travel around 60 metres horizontally and climb around 20 metres.

The findings suggest that achieving the lowest possible touchdown speed may not always be practical. Birds may use flapping not simply to slow down, but to do so within the limited space available in a real landing environment.

The research also provides new insight into why some birds swoop when landing on a perch, and how the physical demands of landing may have helped shape bird evolution.

Lead author Dr Ben Parslew, Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at The University of Manchester, said: “Birds might make landing look effortless but coming to a safe stop presents a fundamental physical challenge. Landing isn’t as simple as just slowing down. The slower a bird flies, the less aerodynamic control it has, so it has to find a way of reducing its speed while still being able to manoeuvre safely. How birds do this and manage these competing demands is still not well understood.

“We used mathematical modelling to calculate how a bird flying without flapping could minimise its speed at touchdown while maintaining the control needed to complete the manoeuvre.

“In doing so, we’ve been able to gain insights into the swooping approaches seen in some perching birds, such as birds of prey, and more broadly, understand how physical demands of landing may have helped shape their evolution.”

Why some birds swoop

The modelling also provides new insight into the swooping behaviours observed in some birds when landing on perches.

Previous research on Harris hawks found that the birds learned to swoop down below their target landing spot before gliding upwards towards a perch. It was proposed that the manoeuvre helped them minimise the distance they travelled after their wings stalled, when aerodynamic control is reduced.

The new modelling suggests that there is more to this behaviour. The landing trajectories appear to reflect a balance between reaching the perch at a low speed and limiting the time spent stalled. The researchers say touchdown speed appears to have a greater influence on the swooping behaviour than previously documented.

Could landing have shaped bird evolution?

Landing on the ground creates a different challenge. Unlike swooping and perching, the bird coming to the ground cannot continue its trajectory below the landing surface or climb upwards through its destination.

The modelling showed that a bird landing on the ground without flapping cannot eliminate all of its speed before its feet touch down. It must therefore use its wings, legs, or a combination of both to deal with the remaining energy.

This places physical demands on the bird's body, requiring more substantial muscles and bones to cope, particularly in the legs. But additional mass can reduce flight performance.

The researchers suggest this trade-off between being light enough for efficient flight and robust enough to land safely could have helped shape the evolution of birds.

The researchers say the same physical principles could also help explain how other flying animals manage unpowered landings.

Final-year medical student Megan Mcgillin was providing medical cover at the event two weeks ago when a 35-year-old runner suddenly fell to the ground after crossing the finish line.

Recognising the signs of cardiac arrest within seconds, Megan immediately raised the alarm and began life-saving chest compressions while calling for additional help.

As the wider medical team arrived, she continued working calmly under pressure, helping to apply defibrillator pads before handing over to colleagues leading the resuscitation effort.

The runner had suffered a cardiac arrest and required extensive emergency treatment before his heart could be restarted.

He was rushed to A&E and later transferred to intensive care, where he has since made a strong recovery.

In a heartwarming twist, the grateful runner has now met Megan in person to thank her for the role she played in saving his life.

For Megan, who is in the final year of her medical training, the dramatic rescue was an unforgettable reminder of why she chose a career in medicine.

The life-saving incident is not the first time she has found herself in the spotlight.

In 2023, Megan led a campaign to raise awareness of organ donation during changes to Northern Ireland's organ donation laws and was recognised with an Inspirational Young Woman of the Year award.

Speaking about what happened, Megan said: "When the runner collapsed, my training immediately kicked in and I focused on doing the basics as quickly and effectively as possible.

“It was a real team effort involving a number of healthcare professionals working together under pressure.

“I'm incredibly grateful that the outcome has been so positive and that he's recovering well.

“Meeting him afterwards was very emotional and a powerful reminder of why we dedicate ourselves to learning these skills and helping others."

Professor Margaret Kingston, Director of Undergraduate Medical & Dental Studies from The  University of Manchester Medical School said: "Megan responded with remarkable professionalism, composure and skill in an extremely challenging situation, and everyone involved is delighted to hear that the runner is making a good recovery.

“The dramatic rescue highlights how the skills learned by future doctors can make the difference between life and death when every second counts.”

The Oxford Road Corridor has launched a new ten-year Strategy setting out the next phase of growth and development for Manchester’s Knowledge Quarter. 

Covering one square mile south of Manchester city centre, the Oxford Road Corridor is one of the UK’s most significant concentrations of research and innovation. It supports more than 104,000 jobs and generates £7.8 billion in annual economic output 

The Oxford Road Corridor Strategy 2026–2036 builds on decades of collaboration between the major institutions that shape this part of Manchester. Over almost two decades of formal partnership, more than £2.8 billion of public and private investment has been aligned across the area. During that period, more than 60,000 jobs have been created and annual economic output has increased by £4.6 billion.  

Alongside major physical change, the Corridor has continued to evolve as a vibrant and distinctive part of the city, with a diverse cultural offer central to its identity. 

The Strategy focuses on how the Corridor can make more of its exceptional concentration of research, talent and economic activity. It sets out how partners will support businesses and attract investment, while continuing to improve the quality and connectivity of the area. 

Future growth will build on established strengths in health and life sciences, digital and technology, advanced materials and the creative industries. 

Major development is already taking shape across the Corridor, from Sister at its northern end to the continued expansion of Citylabs and Manchester Science Park in the south. The Strategy also looks ahead to the transformation of Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations, alongside better connections with surrounding communities.

An independent assessment underpinning the Strategy estimates that the development pipeline could support around 15,800 additional jobs and generate £1.9 billion in GVA per annum, alongside an estimated 2,200 construction jobs per year.

The Strategy was launched at the Royal Northern College of Music at an event hosted by journalist and author Andy Spinoza, bringing together partners and stakeholders from across Manchester and Greater Manchester.

Professor Duncan Ivison, Chair of the Oxford Road Corridor Board and President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “We have an extraordinary concentration of research and talent within the Oxford Road Corridor, but its real strength comes from the relationships between the institutions and organisations based here.

“The partnership has been built over decades and has helped transform this part of Manchester. This Strategy is about what comes next. We want to strengthen the Corridor’s international position and create the conditions for businesses and ideas to grow, while ensuring more people benefit from that success.

“The opportunity over the next decade is significant, and we will achieve far more by continuing to work together than any institution could achieve alone.”

Councillor Garry Bridges, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The Oxford Road Corridor has made an enormous contribution to Manchester’s growth, and the new Strategy gives us a clear direction for the next decade.

“We want Manchester to continue creating highly skilled, well-paid jobs in sectors where we can compete internationally. Increasingly, people can build careers here that a generation ago might have meant leaving Manchester to pursue elsewhere.

“The challenge now is to build on that success and attract further investment. Just as importantly, people and communities across the city need to be able to access the opportunities being created.”

Professor Linda Merrick CBE, Principal of the Royal Northern College of Music, said: “The Oxford Road Corridor brings together an exceptional concentration of institutions and talent within one part of the city. What makes it particularly distinctive is the opportunity to work across institutional boundaries and connect world-class education and research with Manchester’s wider ambitions.

“The new Strategy gives us a shared direction for the next decade, and the RNCM is proud to be part of a partnership with such a strong international outlook and commitment to the future of this place.”

Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, said: “Culture is fundamental to the identity of the Oxford Road Corridor. It is part of why people come here, how they experience the area and how the Corridor connects with Manchester’s communities and the wider world.

“The new Strategy recognises the value of that cultural ecology and the role it can play over the next decade, not only in making this a vibrant and distinctive place but in supporting creative talent and the wider economy.”

Chris Oglesby OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Bruntwood, said: “The Oxford Road Corridor is the UK exemplar of what can be achieved through long-term partnership between the private sector, universities, the NHS and the City Council, delivering wider benefits for Manchester.

“Bruntwood has had a relationship with the Corridor spanning more than 20 years and we’ve seen first-hand how sustained investment and collaboration have helped transform the area. The next decade is about building on that momentum, creating the conditions for innovative businesses to start and scale here, and helping Manchester continue to compete internationally.”

The Strategy’s vision is to drive the growth of an internationally renowned, inclusive and sustainable place where knowledge, business and culture transform lives. It will provide the shared framework for the partnership’s activity and investment through to 2036.

This bold new project, made possible thanks with support from Getty through its New Interpretations initiative, aims to create a new model for co-creation that looks at what happens when interpretation is used not simply to explain the past but to help people imagine better futures. 

Three Imagination Fellowships will catalyse collaboration between communities, practitioners, researchers and Museum staff to co-design new interpretive interventions for the Archaeology gallery. This work will help to create displays that are shaped by diverse perspectives and founded on the Museum’s core values of inclusion, imagination and care. 

Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, said: “This is an incredible opportunity to embed values-based practice throughout our archaeological interpretation, working with communities to develop new knowledge and build a future founded on inclusion, imagination and care. Making the most of our position at the heart of The University of Manchester, new Imagination Fellowships will enable us to move forward faster together and create new models for collaborative display focused on building belonging, hope and agency in a rapidly-changing world." 

Through this project, Manchester Museum intends to create sector-leading models for interpretation and display that help to shape wider museum practice, nationally and internationally, rethinking how collections of deep history can support civic participation and social connection in more impactful ways. 

Manchester Museum cares for around 60,000 objects across archaeology, spanning over 50,000 years of human history and material culture and these collections are Designated by Arts Council England for their international significance.

They include everything from the largest collection of excavated Roman-era assemblages from in and around Manchester to extensive strengths in prehistoric material from Europe, West Asia, South Asia and Africa, and exceptionally rare Classical Greek ceramics that challenge long-held understandings of famous mythological narratives. 

Manchester Museum is one of 11 museums and arts organisatons to be awarded in this pilot round of New Interpretations grants and the only one in Europe. Other grantees include Walker Art Center, Queens Museum, Leeum Museum of Art, in partnership with M+, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Fowler Museum at UCLA, First Americans Museum, Denver Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the Association for Art Museum Interpretation. 

ENDS

The breakthrough sheds new light on why blood pressure rises so dramatically in the condition and could point towards entirely new ways of treating it.

Preeclampsia affects between 2% and 8% of pregnancies worldwide and is linked to serious complications including stroke, organ damage, premature birth and stillbirth.

At present there is no cure other than delivering the baby and placenta, often forcing doctors to bring pregnancies early to protect the mother.

But now the researchers have identified a key failure in the way small arteries regulate blood flow in women with the condition.

The team recruited patients at Saint Mary’s Hospital (SMH), part of MFT, and compared tiny arteries from pregnant women with and without preeclampsia. The researchers discovered that a vital natural relaxation mechanism was severely disrupted in those with the disease.

The vessels were taken from the omentum — a fold of fatty tissue inside the abdomen that helps protect and support the abdominal organs — and placed under pressure in a laboratory to study their functioning.

Healthy blood vessels rely on microscopic bursts of calcium, known as "calcium sparks", to tell the muscle in artery walls to relax and prevent excessive constriction.

But in women with preeclampsia these calcium sparks were dramatically reduced, with levels falling by as much as 75% at normal physiological pressures.

Investigating the samples at Microvascular@Manchester’s, small artery research labs at UoM, led by Professor Adam Greenstein, Clinical Scientist and Consultant Geriatrician at MFT, researchers also found evidence that the cells' calcium stores were depleted and less able to refill themselves, preventing the vessels from generating the signals needed to relax properly.

This loss of an important pressure-balancing mechanism could help explain why blood vessels remain abnormally constricted in preeclampsia, driving dangerous increases in blood pressure.

The team also tested HBD2, a naturally occurring immune-system molecule that helps the body fight infection."

Although the molecule – known as a peptide - did not restore the faulty calcium sparks, it was still able to relax blood vessels by activating a different part of the same pathway.

The finding raises the possibility of future treatments that bypass the damaged mechanism altogether and directly encourage blood vessels to relax.

Researchers say such approaches could eventually help control maternal blood pressure, prolong pregnancy and reduce the need for early delivery.

Study lead author Dr Stephanie Worton from The University of Manchester, who is an Honorary Consultant in Obstetrics at the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre at SMH, part of MFT said: "Preeclampsia remains one of the most serious complications of pregnancy and the only definitive cure is delivery of the baby and placenta.

“Our study reveals, for the first time, a major defect in the way tiny maternal blood vessels regulate their own relaxation.

Dr Worton, who is also a researcher in the Integrative Cardiovascular Medicine Theme at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre: Manchester, continued: “We found that a critical calcium signalling pathway is profoundly impaired, but also showed that blood vessels can still be relaxed through alternative mechanisms.

“These discoveries provide promising new targets for therapies aimed at controlling blood pressure and improving outcomes for mothers and babies.

“Further studies are now needed to explore whether drugs targeting these newly identified pathways could safely be developed for use during pregnancy.”

The research was made possible by collaboration between the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, the cardiovascular sciences research group and the MAViS (Manchester Antenatal Vascular Service) clinic, which provides specialist care for more than 300 women per year, whose pregnancies are complicated by preterm pre-eclampsia.

Professor Jenny Myers from The University of Manchester, a study author and Consultant Obstetrician at the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre at SMH, said: “This research demonstrates the power of collaborative research across MFT and The University of Manchester. This research, and access to human samples from women with a rare disease, is only made possible by the contribution of our research practitioners, research and specialist midwives working alongside our scientists within the university, to advance our understanding and improve care.”

• The study was funded by the Tommy’s Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Alzheimer’s Society, the British Heart Foundation and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester.

• Maternal Microvascular Calcium Sparks Are Reduced in Preeclampsia is published in the journal Circulation Research https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.125.327858

The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on collaboration to create new opportunities for young people and to tackle issues around biodiversity and nature.

Manchester Museum will draw on Science Gallery Bengaluru’s work with students, specifically through its Mentorship Initiative, to build innovative programmes for young people, focused on learning, mentorship and the development of creative pathways.

In its commitment to the Anthropocene, Science Gallery Bengaluru’s Nature Lab, as part of the pioneering Public Lab Complex, will collaborate with the Manchester Museum’s world-class conservation initiatives to serve as a two-way bridge between biodiversity and nature-related research and public engagement.

Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, said: “Bengaluru is a city driven by creativity and innovation, where there’s a tangible sense of care for the natural world and a commitment to creating opportunities for future generations.

“The people and ideas I experienced on a previous visit there have helped to shape the work we do at Manchester Museum and there’s a strong sense of shared purpose between our two organisations. Science Gallery Bengaluru does an incredible job of inspiring young people and we’re excited to build on that in creating an even brighter future for communities here in Manchester.”

Dr Jahnavi Phalkey, Director of Science Gallery Bengaluru, said: “At Science Gallery Bengaluru, we value research-based engagement and new ways of bringing science to the public. Our Nature Lab, part of the pioneering Public Lab Complex, is one way we continue to explore our commitment to the Anthropocene.

“Visiting Manchester Museum and seeing how it puts community spaces into practice offers a valuable point of connection between our institutions. We are delighted to collaborate with Manchester Museum and explore how our two institutions can learn from each other.”

The MoU was signed during an event at Science Gallery Bengaluru, organised as part of the Greater Manchester Mission to India and attended by Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, and Bev Craig OBE, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

This partnership builds on work Manchester Museum has done through its award-winning South Asia Gallery, a British Museum partnership, which is the first permanent gallery in the UK to celebrate the experiences and contribution of the South Asian diaspora. The Museum has also previously partnered with the Indian Music Experience Museum in Bangalore on the RhythmXChange project, which looked at rhythm as a shared language, working with young musicians from India and the UK.

During the mission, The University of Manchester announced plans for a new centre, focusing on education, research and innovation, in Bengaluru. The proposed centre will provide a permanent platform for the University 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 in India.

The ministers visited the Renold Innovation Hub on Friday, 23 October, where they were welcomed by Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester and Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice-President (Enterprise), and SISTER Director of Place, Liz Bamber.

They heard how the University is working with business and civic partners to turn new ideas into commercial opportunities and help companies establish themselves, innovate and grow.

During a tour of the Renold Innovation Hub, the ministers visited SISTER's co-working spaces and met businesses based within the innovation district, including NeuWave Technologies, LanthaGen Bio, MolMart and Brain Feed Therapeutics.

NeuWave Technologies is a University of Manchester spin-out using artificial intelligence and ocean science to provide predictive information for offshore operations. LanthaGen Bio is a Manchester-based tech-bio company using engineered binders to recover rare-earth and other critical metals from waste and MolMart is a Manchester genomics company offering preconception genetic screening to prospective parents, while Brain Feed Therapeutics is a research-driven brand that formulates and sells natural brain health and cognitive supplements.

The ministers then visited the nearby Pariser Building where they met the founders of Concretene. The company develops a graphene-based additive for concrete that can improve its performance while reducing the amount of cement needed, helping to cut its carbon footprint.

The technology was developed at the University’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) and Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, in partnership with Nationwide Engineering, an innovation-led construction company co-founded by a Manchester graduate. The partnership helped take Concretene from the lab to a commercial product in just 18 months.

Partnership for growth

Sister is a joint venture between The University of Manchester and Bruntwood SciTech, bringing together research, entrepreneurial talent and business expertise to support innovation and economic growth.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “Universities have a really important role to play in driving economic growth, not just through our research and the talent we develop, but by helping turn great ideas into new businesses, products and jobs.

“Sister is a fantastic example of how we’re doing that in Manchester. It was great to show the Secretary of State and Small Business Minister what innovation looks like in practice and what can be achieved when universities, businesses and civic partners work together.”

Liz Bamber, Director of Place at Sister, added: “Welcoming the Business Secretary and Small Business Minister to the Renold Innovation Hub highlights the sheer strength and ambition of Manchester’s innovation ecosystem. Sister is designed to give pioneering companies - from AI spin-outs to breakthrough bio-techs - the physical space, supportive community, and connection to world-class research they need to thrive.

“We’re proud to be creating a vibrant home where great ideas quickly translate into real-world impact and sustainable economic growth for the region.”

The visit came ahead of an SME conference in Manchester and in the run-up to the government's forthcoming budget, which is expected to include support for small businesses.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: "Small businesses and innovation go hand in hand in this country, with so many great entrepreneurs creating and embracing new technology that sets them apart from the competition. That’s why we’re helping unlock their potential through removing £800 million worth of everyday paperwork and bureaucracy.

 "Sister is a key driver of this change in Manchester and it was excellent to meet businesses like LanthaGen Bio, MolMart and Concretene on Friday to discuss how they are turning new ideas into jobs and growth for the city." 

The new Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) for Human Neural Development will integrate world-leading expertise with cutting-edge research to fill in major gaps in the fundamental understanding of brain growth and development.

Led by King’s College London, in partnership with University College London (UCL) and the University of Manchester, the key aim is to understand the critical mechanisms underpinning early brain development, from the womb to early childhood, and how their disruption can inform effective treatments.

Until recently, there were very few ways to study the development of the human brain in a meaningful way. Now, using the latest technological developments, including the ability to image the developing brain before and after birth, grow models of brain tissue in the laboratory, and harness the power of artificial intelligence, the centre will provide unprecedented insights into the development of the human cerebral cortex, the region of our brain that enables language, planning and creativity. Using these insights from the laboratory, the centre aims to develop markers of healthy brain development, which can be measured in babies and children to help develop and evaluate treatments in clinic.

Centre lead Professor Oscar Marín, based at King’s College London, said: “The human brain is a bit of a black box.

“We can measure patterns of brain activity from the outside, and we can even potentially connect them to what happens later in life, but we don't yet know how these signals actually relate to what's happening inside the child’s brain.

“This means we cannot tell which signals reflect something important about how the circuits inside the brain are developing. Until we can make that distinction, we cannot reliably predict which children are at risk or intervene early enough to make a difference.

“We have now reached a point where the technologies exist to close that gap, and we can turn that understanding into real differences for children and families.

“The one thing that makes King’s a very special place to tackle this problem is that there are very few places in the world that has this universe of discovery scientists and clinical scientists and facilities that will allow us to bring this program together.”

The centre will use organoid technologies to build human models of brain tissue in the newly established Brain Organoids Laboratory at King’s, which was funded through an initial donation of £1.5m from the Wolfson Foundation in 2024.

This pioneering technology allows researchers Professor Marin and Dr Laura Pellegrini to model how parts of the human brain develop and to tailor their genetic makeup to understand the specific genes involved in neurodevelopmental disorders.

“We have the tools to essentially generate a primordial mini functional tissue that resembles a part of the cerebral cortex. This would help us to understand what goes wrong with, for example, with the cellular architecture in certain diseases,” commented Dr Pellegrini, Wellcome Trust CDA Fellow at King’s, on the doors opened by organoid technologies.

Professor Tomoki Arichi, Professor of Perinatal Neuroscience at King’s, and honorary consultant at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, will form part of a clinical team collaborating closely with clinical lead Professor Shruti Garg from the University of Manchester to help translate findings from the laboratory into new treatments and improvements in clinical care for children.

Professor Shruti Garg, Centre translational lead and Deputy director, based at The University of Manchester, said: "Working within NHS clinical networks in Manchester, we'll turn discoveries about brain development into tools clinicians can use making a real difference for children and families here and across the country."

Dr Ilias Tachtsidis, Centre Innovation Lead and Deputy Director, based in UCL’s Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, will lead on engineering aspects of the project. He added: "To deliver this ambitious vision of the centre, we need first-of-their-kind technologies that can safely and non-invasively image brain biology across scales—from blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to brain cells, down to the mitochondria that power them. This is a major engineering challenge we will tackle at UCL."

Professor Emily Jones, Professor of Developmental Translational Neuroscience at King’s, will follow how newly identified markers of healthy brain development translate to developmental outcomes beyond infancy at the new Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People.

When genetic mutations and environmental factors affect brain development in infants, the consequences are felt throughout their life.

These outcomes are disproportionately felt by minorities and families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr Ceri Williams, Executive Director of Challenge Led Themes at MRC, said: “We are delighted to announce this new MRC CoRE for Human Neural Development, backed by £50 million of public investment.

“By untangling the mysteries of human brain development in the very early stages, this centre offers a powerful opportunity to transform lives, giving us the tools to make earlier and fairer interventions for a future where every child has the best possible chance to realise their full potential.”

A student from The University of Manchester is preparing to climb Africa’s highest mountain to raise money for young people with cancer, drawing on his own family’s experiences of the disease.

Next August, 30 year old Joseph Mooney from Whitefield will take on the challenge of trekking up the 5895 metre Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity supporting young people facing cancer.

For Joseph, the challenge is deeply personal - he lost his grandfather to pancreatic cancer in 2022, his mother and sister have both survived ovarian cancer, and his uncle is currently receiving treatment for lung cancer at Manchester Royal Infirmary and The Christie.

Joseph is planning a series of training hikes over the next nine months, including revisiting the UK’s Three Peaks - Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon - ahead of the expedition. He climbed Ben Nevis in 2024 and first hiked Snowdon as a teenager. He also plans to hike the Rock of Gibraltar when visiting his mother, who lives there.

Earlier this year, Joseph completed a multi-day trek through Morocco’s Atlas Mountains - but he says Kilimanjaro will be the biggest and toughest challenge he has faced.

His passion for hiking is also closely connected to his own wellbeing. Joseph says spending time in nature, hiking alone and getting outdoors help him manage his mental health and provide a welcome sense of perspective.

“Cancer has affected my family in so many ways, and it is a cause that is very close to my heart,” he said. “Having lost my grandad and seen my mum and sister come through cancer, with my uncle currently undergoing treatment, I know how much the disease can affect not just the person diagnosed but their whole family. I wanted to do something positive with those experiences and take on a challenge that could make a difference to other people going through something similar.

“Hiking is also something that means a lot to me personally. Getting out into nature and pushing myself on a trail can do wonders for my wellbeing. Kilimanjaro will be the biggest and hardest trek I’ve ever done, but knowing I’m doing it to support young people with cancer will make it all worthwhile.”

Teenage Cancer Trust provides specialist nursing care and support for teenagers and young adults with cancer, including through specialist hospital units and services across the UK. Joseph hopes to use his training hikes to raise awareness of the charity as well as funds, wearing a Teenage Cancer Trust T-shirt on the trails and talking to fellow hikers about its work.

He is appealing to the University of Manchester community and the wider public to support his fundraising effort. Donations of any size will help him work towards his fundraising target and support the charity’s work with young people affected by cancer.

Support Joseph’s fundraising

To donate to Joseph’s Kilimanjaro challenge, visit his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cachpage-joseph-mooney

Joseph will be posting about his training and his climb on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joemoon_95

International pressure intended to encourage democratic reform can sometimes strengthen the very governments it seeks to hold to account, according to new research from The University of Manchester.

The study examined Zimbabwe's decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth in December 2003, finding that the move was driven less by a rejection of international institutions in principle than by the ruling party's determination to remain in power.

Why Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth

Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in 2002 amid concerns about its presidential election and democratic standards. When the suspension continued following a Commonwealth meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, in December 2003, President Robert Mugabe's government announced its withdrawal.

But the research, by Dr Arthur Shirichena of The University of Manchester and Pofela Ndzozi of Lupane State University in Zimbabwe, argues that withdrawal was a strategic political choice.

The authors examined documentary evidence, including Commonwealth and Zimbabwean government records, parliamentary material and contemporary reporting, to understand the decisions behind the country's departure.

They argue that meeting the conditions for reinstatement – including improvements to elections, media freedom, judicial independence and political violence – risked weakening ZANU-PF's control.

The government continued to pursue a return to the Commonwealth while that appeared possible on terms it could accept. Once the Abuja outcome made that prospect less realistic, leaving became a way to protect its domestic position rather than accept reforms that might undermine it.

Turning criticism into a defence of sovereignty

The study finds that the government also used international criticism to reinforce its political narrative at home.

By presenting the dispute as an attack on Zimbabwe's sovereignty and its anti-colonial liberation struggle, ZANU-PF could portray external pressure as foreign interference. The government could also cast domestic opponents who called for reform as aligned with outside interests.

This helped the ruling party mobilise political support and shift responsibility for Zimbabwe's international isolation onto its critics.

The authors argue that this strategy served the interests of the ruling coalition, even if withdrawal reduced Zimbabwe's diplomatic access and standing. The government's political survival, rather than the country's wider national interest, was the central consideration.

Lessons for international pressure today

The research highlights a challenge for governments and international organisations seeking to encourage democratic change: diplomatic isolation does not automatically lead to reform.

Where leaders see international demands as a threat to their hold on power, they may reject those demands, challenge the legitimacy of their critics or use the dispute to rally domestic support.

The authors caution that the Zimbabwe case does not provide a universal explanation for how governments respond to international pressure, but say it shows why the likely domestic political consequences of diplomatic action need to be considered alongside its intended goals.

Publication details

The research was published in
The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs.

Title:
Zimbabwe’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth: a foreign policy analysis through the logics of consequences and appropriateness

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2026.2741272

URL:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00358533.2026.2741272

Nicola will join the University Executive and lead our finance function, bringing a wealth of experience, strategic insight and a deep understanding of the higher education sector as we continue to deliver From Manchester for the world and ensure the University’s long-term financial sustainability. 

Nicola joins us from the University of Liverpool, where she is currently Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for finance, procurement, strategic planning and strategic change, as well as serving as Executive Lead for Sustainability. During her career, she has led major finance transformation programmes, strengthened institutional financial planning and performance and helped shape investment, partnership and sustainability strategies to support long-term success.  

With more than 25 years’ leadership experience, including over two decades in higher education, Nicola has built a reputation for combining strong financial stewardship with collaborative leadership and informed decision making. She brings a proven ability to navigate complexity in large organisations and respond proactively to challenging external environments.

This appointment also marks a welcome return to Manchester. Between 2005 and 2017, Nicola held a number of senior finance roles at the University, including Deputy Director of Finance, Head of Faculty Finance for Medical and Human Sciences, Head of Management Accounts and Financial Controller. She therefore joins us not only with extensive experience in the sector, but also with an understanding of our people and our values. Earlier in her career, she worked in professional practice with Baker Tilly, EY and Grant Thornton.

Nicola is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds a BSc in Mathematics from Newcastle University and an MSc in Applied Mathematics and Fluid Mechanics from The University of Manchester.

Please join us in giving Nicola a very warm welcome back to Manchester. We look forward to working with her and wish her every success in the role.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “Nicola brings a wealth of experience, sector insight and a strong track record of financial leadership and the opportunities and challenges facing the sector today. Having previously had a number of senior roles at Manchester, she also knows the University well and shares our commitment to the ambitions we’ve set out in our strategy. I am delighted to welcome Nicola back to the University and look forward to working with her.”

Nicola Davies said: “I am delighted to be returning to The University of Manchester as Chief Financial Officer. Having both worked and studied here, Manchester is an institution I know well and care about deeply. I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the University to build on its strong foundations, support its strategic ambitions and ensure that our financial planning and investment continue to deliver real impact for our students, staff, city and wider communities.”

Nicola will take up the role on Monday 8 February 2027.

The University of Manchester has been selected to establish a new ELIAS Node, becoming only the second UK institution to join the European AI innovation network, alongside Cambridge.

The Manchester Node is one of eight newly selected nodes announced at the ELIAS Frontier AI Innovation Summit in Stuttgart, Germany, on 8 October 2026. The expansion brings the ELIAS Alliance to 16 nodes across nine European countries, strengthening collaboration in frontier artificial intelligence research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Led by Professor Sophia Ananiadou, Professor of Computer Science and Deputy Director of the Christabel Pankhurst Institute, the Manchester ELIAS Node will be hosted at the Christabel Pankhurst Institute for Health Technology Research and Innovation at The University of Manchester.

The ELIAS Alliance (European Leadership in Innovation with AI and Science), initiated by the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), brings together leading AI researchers, universities, innovation centres and industry partners to strengthen Europe's leadership in AI research and its translation into technological, economic and societal impact.

Advancing frontier AI research and innovation

The Manchester ELIAS Node will connect the University's internationally recognised strengths in artificial intelligence with interdisciplinary research, entrepreneurship and industrial innovation.

Its research activities will focus on three complementary areas:

• Trustworthy AI for digital twins, in-silico trials and regulatory-grade evidence, bringing together multimodal learning, causal AI, simulation and computational medicine to support reliable scientific and healthcare applications.
• Open foundation models, agentic AI and trustworthy AI, advancing language technologies, domain-specialised foundation models, multilingual AI, intelligent agents and methods for evaluating the reliability and safety of AI systems.
• AI foundations for scientific discovery and complex systems, including probabilistic machine learning, optimisation, uncertainty quantification, scientific machine learning and human-centred AI.

The Node builds on Manchester's established research environment, including the National Centre for Text Mining (NaCTeM), ELLIS Manchester, the Centre for AI Fundamentals, the University's doctoral training programmes and the Christabel Pankhurst Institute. It will support new opportunities for collaborative research, doctoral education, researcher mobility, open-source AI development and knowledge exchange across Europe.

Manchester ELIAS Node leadership and research team

The Manchester ELIAS Node is led by Professor Sophia Ananiadou, who serves as its Lead and Spokesperson within the European ELIAS Alliance. Her research spans natural language processing, large language models, trustworthy and agentic AI, and biomedical and scientific language technologies. The Node brings together leading researchers from The University of Manchester and European academic partners.

ELLIS Fellows associated with the Manchester Node:

• Professor Sophia Ananiadou – The University of Manchester; Manchester ELIAS Node Lead and Spokesperson.
• Professor Magnus Rattray – The University of Manchester; ELLIS Manchester Lead, Machine Learning and AI.
• Professor Alejandro Frangi – The University of Manchester; Computational Medicine and AI.
• Professor Samuel Kaski – The University of Manchester and ELLIS Institute Finland; Machine Learning and AI.

Manchester Node Members:

• Dr Mauricio Alvarez – Machine Learning and AI Fundamentals.
• Professor Julia Handl – Optimisation, Machine Learning and Decision Sciences.
• Dr Mingfei Sun – Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning and Open-Source AI.
• Dr Tingting Mu – Theoretical Machine Learning and AI Fundamentals.
• Dr Claudia Lindner – Translational Medical Imaging and AI for Health.
• Professor Matthew Sperrin – Biostatistics, Health Data Science and Causal Inference.

Together, the team brings complementary expertise across AI foundations, trustworthy machine learning, language technologies, biomedical AI, optimisation and scientific discovery, supporting the Node's research, innovation and training activities.

Connecting Manchester to Europe's AI research community

As the second ELIAS Node in the UK, Manchester will strengthen the country's contribution to European AI research and innovation. Working closely with the Cambridge ELIAS Node, Manchester will help establish a stronger north–south connection within the UK, while developing new collaborations with European partners, including the ELLIS Institute Finland, ELLIS Unit Franconia and ELLIS Unit Barcelona. These partnerships will support joint research initiatives, researcher exchanges, doctoral training, innovation activities and participation in the wider ELIAS network. The Node will also contribute to the ELIAS Alliance Innovation PhD initiative, connecting doctoral researchers with opportunities in AI research, entrepreneurship, industrial collaboration and international mobility.

Building on Greater Manchester's industry and innovation ecosystem

A distinctive strength of the Manchester ELIAS Node is its integration with the region's growing AI, life sciences and innovation ecosystem.

The Node is supported by a network of academic, industry and innovation organisations, including:

• Unit M – Supporting science entrepreneurship, venture creation and innovation.
• University of Manchester Innovation Factory – Supporting technology transfer, intellectual property and commercialisation.
• Turing Innovation Catalyst – Connecting AI research with industry, startups and regional economic growth.
• Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst (IBIC) – Supporting innovation, industrial collaboration and translation.
• Bionow – Connecting the Node with the regional life sciences and biotechnology industry.
• Cambridge–Manchester Innovation Partnership – Strengthening collaboration, entrepreneurship and innovation across the two cities.

The Node will also draw on established industry relationships and wider international partnerships to create pathways from frontier AI research to real-world applications. These collaborations will help researchers and students engage with entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors, supporting the development of innovative AI technologies and new ventures.

A new chapter for Manchester's European AI collaboration

Professor Sophia Ananiadou, Lead of the Manchester ELIAS Node, said:“We are delighted that The University of Manchester has been selected to join the ELIAS Alliance as its second UK Node. This is an important recognition of Manchester's research excellence in artificial intelligence and the strength of our interdisciplinary research community. The Manchester Node brings together outstanding expertise in AI foundations, trustworthy and agentic AI, language technologies and AI for scientific discovery. We look forward to developing new opportunities for research collaboration, doctoral training and innovation through the ELIAS Alliance.

Professor Ian Hall, Director Christabel Pankhurst Institute at The University of Manchester, said: "I am excited at the potential for the Manchester ELIAS Node and look forward to hosting it in the Christabel Pankhurst Institute. Trust and openness in AI solutions for health research are critical for public and clinical acceptability, and we look forward to leading work on these and other key foundations with partners in the European Leadership in Innovation with AI and Science"

The establishment of the Manchester ELIAS Node reinforces The University of Manchester's commitment to internationally leading AI research, interdisciplinary collaboration and responsible innovation. Hosted by the Christabel Pankhurst Institute, the Node will provide a new platform for connecting research excellence with European collaboration, entrepreneurship and societal benefit.

Further information: ELIAS Alliance expands its pan-European network

The relative North–South gap in this age group has therefore more than tripled over four decades. These comparisons take account of differences in age and sex between the populations.

In the 1980s, northern women in their late twenties and thirties had no excess mortality compared with the South; today every five-year band of women aged 25–49 shows a 35–60% excess, and the gap for women has grown 3.5-fold overall, from around 12% to 41%.

In this study, “northern excess mortality” means how much higher death rates are in the North than in the South of England in the same year.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Liverpool, the University of Manchester and Health Equity North, analysed national death registrations and population estimates from 1981 to 2024. It examined how the divide varied by age and sex, and whether trends changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mortality rates fell overall during the four decades studied, although improvements were interrupted by the pandemic. The North–South gap persisted, and the widening among adults aged 25–49 began well before COVID-19.

During 2010–19, the relative North–South mortality gap among 25–49-year-olds widened for both women and men, with a faster increase among women.

There was no evidence of a narrowing of the gap during 2020–24 in any of the age or sex groups studied. Across all people under 75, death rates were 26% higher in the North than in the South in 2024, after adjustment for age and sex.

The study examined deaths from all causes combined, rather than the specific causes of the divide. The researchers plan further analyses to investigate which causes of death are contributing to the differences.

The authors describe the persistence of the North–South health divide and its widening among working-age adults and women in early to mid-life as “major challenges for government”.

They call for sustained, coordinated action by central government and strategic regional authorities to tackle the social and economic drivers of excess mortality in the North. This includes:

• Giving regional strategic authorities sufficient powers to address the social and economic determinants of health.
• Targeting funding at areas of high deprivation to narrow health gaps.

Professor Iain Buchan, W.H. Duncan Professor of Public Health Systems and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Liverpool, Director of Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL), and Executive Director of Science and Technology at Liverpool Health Partners, said: “These findings are deeply concerning for England’s health, social fabric and economy. The more than tripling of the relative North–South mortality gap between 1981 and 2024 among 25–49-year-olds is the tip of the iceberg of rising regional inequalities in the health of working-age adults, which risk compounding economic divides and reinforcing a vicious circle of disadvantage in the North compared with the South of England.

“Policymakers need to consider radical steps to improve health, work and opportunity in the North of England, not only for public health but for the whole UK economy.”

Professor Evangelos Kontopantelis, Professor in Data Science and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, said: “By bringing previous analyses of the North–South mortality divide up to date, the study paints a picture of persistent regional inequalities and exposes a concerning trajectory for the North.

“It also provides robust evidence for the need for sustained policy action in the North that extends beyond healthcare and tackles the wider factors that shape health outcomes, such as deprivation, multimorbidity, poor housing and adverse employment conditions.”

Professor Benjamin Barr, Professor in Applied Public Health Research at the University of Liverpool, said: “Tackling the increasing health gap between the North and the South should be a top priority for government. Our research shows that the problem is getting worse, with northern excess mortality rising steeply among 25-49-year-olds, who make up a significant proportion of the working age population. There is both a moral imperative to tackle these regional disparities and a strong economic case for doing so.”

Dr Luke Munford, Co-Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester, Academic Co-Director at Health Equity North, and Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at the University of Manchester, said: “Our study reveals a deepening of the North–South mortality gap, with worrying long-term trends among northern working-age adults and women in early to mid-life, which is particularly concerning given their role in shaping the health and life chances of the next generation.

“These are trends that government cannot ignore. They need to invest in health, specifically in areas that have poorer health outcomes, to build a healthier, more resilient society and a stronger economy.”

Hannah Davies, Chief Executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance and Executive Director of Health Equity North (HEN), said: “This paper adds to the evidence on health inequalities in the North. HEN’s separate research has also examined the economic consequences of poor health and the circumstances in which people leave work.

“Targeted action is needed in the hardest-hit communities, informed by robust research and combining prevention and healthcare with action on the wider social and economic determinants of health.”

• ‘The north–south divide in English mortality, 1981–2024: a longitudinal population study’, published in The Lancet Public Health, can be accessed here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(26)00195-7/fulltext

An Office of Health Economics report, published today, estimates that a fully funded UK Centre of Excellence for In-Silico Regulatory Science and Innovation (UK CEiRSI) could generate 37,282 additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) within its first five years. A QALY is a measure that combines length and quality of life, representing a year lived in perfect health. The report values that health gain at around £2.4 billion, applying the Treasury's £70,000 valuation of a QALY and discounting future benefits.

Headquartered at The University of Manchester, UK CEiRSI's mission is to accelerate the use of in silico methods, which use computer modelling and simulations alongside, or in place of, laboratory experiments or tests involving animals or people, as a key evidence base for developing and regulating medicines and medical devices. UK CEiRSI is supported by the Office of Life Sciences, Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The analysis also estimates potential savings within the next five years of £1.2 billion for the NHS and £325 million globally for industry through research and development efficiencies and additional revenue. It projects a £21.9 billion contribution to the UK economy through investment, employment, and productivity gains. The authors caution that some of these quantified health and productivity benefits may overlap.

The report suggests that in silico methods could also reduce reliance on animal testing and improve access to treatments for groups often under-represented in clinical trials, including children and pregnant women.

UK CEiRSI’s work is referenced in the Government’s Replacing Animals in Science Strategy and aligns with their Life Sciences Sector Plan, AI for Science Strategy, and the 10-Year Health Plan for England.

To estimate the impact, researchers modelled how UK CEiRSI could enable 14 additional uses of medicines and medical devices by 2030, comprising two medicines and 12 devices. Over 15 years, that figure could rise to 77 new uses. The resulting health gains were valued at £14 billion. Separately, the report links £12.5 billion of new research and development investment to the creation of 267,000 jobs by 2040.

The analysis drew on published evidence and a survey of 46 experts from the medical device, pharmaceutical, and supporting sectors, with the headline figures based on OHE’s medium impact scenario.

Professor Alejandro Frangi, Executive Director of UK CEiRSI at The University of Manchester, said: “In silico technologies let us test ideas, treatments and devices using sophisticated computer models before, or alongside, conventional studies. UK CEiRSI is unlocking the potential of these methods and this report shows how the country stands to gain. More years of healthy life is a tantalising prospect and one that is now within our grasp. The economic benefits that we can offer will create and protect British jobs. We are helping to reduce animal testing in research by advancing the use of human-relevant evidence. We look forward to delivering this transformational agenda alongside the government, medical regulators, and businesses."

Professor Sarah Sharples, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at The University of Manchester, said: “Computer modelling is an extremely beneficial component of delivering safe and effective technology. The report sets out an opportunity that the UK is well placed to take. The rules by which computer-based evidence is accepted in medicine and medical device regulation are being written now, and the countries that help write those rules will shape how these products are developed well beyond their own borders.

”UK CEiRSI, headquartered here and drawing on partners across the UK and beyond, demonstrates how a Manchester strategic approach brings this approach to life. It takes modelling, computing at scale, and validation to a standard that holds up under scrutiny — and people who can do all three. Manchester has this.”

Professor Ashley Blom, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester, said: “Every medicine and device that reaches a patient has been tested on somebody, and for decades that somebody has rarely been a child, rarely someone who is pregnant, and rarely someone from the communities our trials reach least well. Simulation changes who can be represented in the evidence, which makes this a matter of safety and of fairness at once. The report highlights these benefits and the potential for improved patient safety and enhanced product efficacy more generally."

A simple daily blood test could help critically ill sepsis patients come off antibiotics sooner, potentially reducing drug overuse and helping tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, new research shows.

The study, led by researchers at University of Manchester and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, and mainly funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), involved 2,760 patients in 41 intensive care units across the UK and is published in the journal Anaesthesia 

They found monitoring levels of a blood marker called procalcitonin (PCT) prompted doctors to consider stopping antibiotics significantly earlier than another commonly used marker, C-reactive protein (CRP).

The ADAPT-Sepsis trial examines how doctors respond to automated advice generated from daily blood tests designed to guide decisions on when antibiotic treatment could safely end.

The new data adds to the evidence already gathered through the ADAPT-Sepsis research programme. This process evaluation provides the final piece of the puzzle on whether the approach could be adopted across the NHS.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by the body's overwhelming response to infection and is responsible for thousands of deaths every year.

Patients often receive prolonged courses of powerful antibiotics because doctors are understandably cautious about stopping treatment too soon in severely ill patients.

But unnecessary antibiotic use can fuel antimicrobial resistance, increase side effects and add to healthcare costs.

The researchers found that procalcitonin-based guidance generated "stop antibiotics" recommendations nearly two days earlier than guidance based on CRP – a significant reduction.

Though doctors were more likely to follow advice generated from CRP testing, the earlier signals produced by procalcitonin offer greater potential to cut the total amount of antibiotics patients receive.

CRP testing more closely reflects existing prescribing habits and tends to recommend continuing standard care.

More than 17,000 blood samples and pieces of treatment advice were analysed during the trial.

The most common reason doctors chose not to follow recommendations to stop antibiotics was existing microbiology guidance recommending fixed treatment durations.

Other reasons included concerns about ongoing severe illness, persistent fever and raised inflammation markers.

Principle researcher Professor Paul Dark, is Vice Dean for health and care partnerships at The University of Manchester and Professor of critical care medicine at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

He said: "For decades, intensive care doctors have faced an impossible balancing act.

“Nobody wants to stop antibiotics too early and risk a patient's life, but continuing them unnecessarily also carries real dangers for individuals and society.

“What our study shows is that simple biomarker tests can provide an additional layer of reassurance when making these difficult decisions.

“The challenge now is helping healthcare teams feel confident acting on that information so patients receive exactly the treatment they need, for exactly as long as they need it."

He added: “Blood-test-guided antibiotic stewardship could become an important tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance if implemented alongside existing clinical guidance and prescribing frameworks.

“These  findings provide new insight into how hospitals could safely reduce antibiotic exposure in some of the sickest patients in the NHS while helping preserve the effectiveness of life-saving drugs for future generations.”

Professor Rupert Pearse, Chair of the NIHR-HTA commissioning committee, said: "NIHR-funded research like the ADAPT-Sepsis trial plays a key role in tackling the threat posed globally by antimicrobial resistance.

"The study team's results help to provide vital evidence for medical professionals, giving them a greater understanding of how best to treat sepsis patients and, crucially, identify when it is safe for antibiotic treatment to be halted."

The trial is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), the NIHR Manchester HealthTech Research Centre in Emergency and Acute Care and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), in collaboration with The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. 

• The paper Delivery and adherence of biomarker-guided antibiotic treatment protocols in the ADAPT-Sepsis clinical trial: an in trial descriptive process evaluation of daily procalcitonin- and C-reactive protein-guided protocols is published in he journal Anaesthesia.  DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.70439

Professor Ashley Blom, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, will leave The University of Manchester next year to take up the role of Provost at the University of Melbourne.

During his time at Manchester, Ashley has made an important contribution to both the Faculty and the wider University. He has sharpened our approach to growing and diversifying research income, brought focus to how we attract, support and retain outstanding people, and provided thoughtful and determined leadership in addressing areas of challenge within the Faculty. As a highly valued member of the University Executive, he has also contributed insight and constructive challenge to the University’s strategy, strengthened engagement with philanthropists through Challenge Accepted, helped develop initiatives to improve the student experience and our NSS performance, and laid the groundwork for the renewal of the health estate through the integrated infrastructure plan.

Beyond the University, Ashley has worked closely with partners across Greater Manchester's health and care system. Through his roles with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Health Innovation Manchester, and his engagement with the NHS, civic and community partners, he has strengthened the Faculty's connections across the city-region and championed the contribution that research, education and innovation can make to better health outcomes.

Ashley is an orthopaedic surgeon and internationally recognised researcher in arthroplasty. Before joining Manchester, he was Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Health at the University of Sheffield and, before that, Head of Bristol Medical School. He is an NIHR Senior Investigator, a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a former President of the European Orthopaedic Research Society. His research has informed national guidance on joint replacement.

The University is extremely sorry to see Ashley leave, but we congratulate him on his appointment and wish him every success in this major new role. Interim leadership arrangements for the Faculty will be communicated in due course.

The University will begin the recruitment process for a new Vice-President and Dean immediately.

Professor Ashley Blom said: “This has been an exceptionally difficult decision. Manchester is a remarkable university, and I have enormous belief in the direction Duncan and colleagues have set through Manchester 2035. The University has developed a genuinely world-leading plan: ambitious about research and education, deeply rooted in its city and region, and focused on turning excellence into lasting public benefit.

“I am immensely grateful to colleagues, students and partners across the University and Greater Manchester for the openness, commitment and generosity they have shown me. It has been a privilege to work alongside them. Although the opportunity to become Provost at Melbourne is one I am honoured to take up, I will leave Manchester with real sadness and with every confidence in what the University will achieve between now and 2035.”

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester said: “I am sorry that Ashley will be leaving us, but I understand the opportunity he has been offered at a world-leading university and warmly congratulate him on his appointment. In a relatively short time at Manchester, he has made a significant contribution, sharpening our approach to research income, bringing open and collaborative leadership to the Faculty, responding with care and determination in tackling challenges, and strengthening our relationships across Greater Manchester’s health and care system.

“Ashley has been a valued colleague and member of the University Executive, and we will miss his judgement, generosity and commitment to Manchester. Melbourne is gaining an outstanding academic leader.

“We will communicate interim arrangements shortly and begin the recruitment of Ashley’s successor as soon as possible. In the meantime, I know colleagues will join me in thanking Ashley and wishing him and his family every success for the future.”

Professor Blom will take up the role in March 2027.

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

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.

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.

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 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.  

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

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.

The ultra-sensitive monitoring technology reveals how different parts of the brain respond during a stroke, potentially allowing doctors to identify which areas can still be saved and which are at greatest risk of further harm.

The study in mice, published in Brain, brought together researchers from The University of Manchester, the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), and industry partner Multi Channel Systems in Germany.

Ischaemic Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide and occurs when a blockage cuts off blood supply to part of the brain.

But scientists say the initial loss of blood flow is only part of the story, because a second wave of damage can spread through surrounding tissue in the hours that follow.

These waves, known as cortical spreading depolarizations, are bursts of abnormal electrical activity that travel through injured brain tissue and can contribute to the expansion of the original injury.

Until now, researchers have struggled to study the signals accurately because conventional monitoring technologies cannot reliably capture the extremely slow electrical changes involved.

However, using advanced graphene-based sensors placed directly on the brains of mice, the team recorded these events in unprecedented detail, revealing signals that are poorly captured by conventional recording technologies and whose significance has therefore not been fully appreciated.

The researchers found that the shape and characteristics of the electrical signals acted as a fingerprint for the health of nearby brain tissue.

The signals were able to distinguish between tissue that remained relatively healthy, tissue that was vulnerable and potentially recoverable, and tissue that had already suffered severe damage.

Crucially, the technology also revealed how blood vessels responded when these electrical waves passed through the brain.

In healthier areas, blood flow increased to support recovery, while in more vulnerable regions blood flow sometimes fell even further, increasing the risk of lasting damage.

The team then demonstrated that these harmful responses could be modified using low doses of ketamine, a drug already widely used in clinical practice.

Ketamine shortened the duration of damaging electrical events, improved blood flow responses and reduced the overall size of brain injuries in the study.

Lead author Dr Samuel Flaherty from the University of Manchester  added: “This work raises the prospect that graphene-based brain monitoring could one day provide doctors with a real-time map of brain vulnerability during stroke.

“This could helping them target treatments to patients most at risk and ultimately improve recovery and long-term outcomes.”

Co-author Dr Rob Wykes, from The University of Manchester and UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, said: “For the first time, we have been able to see critical stroke-related brain signals with a level of detail that was previously impossible to achieve.

“What is particularly exciting is that the signals tell us about the condition of the surrounding brain tissue and how likely it is to deteriorate further.

Co-author Dr Anton Guimerà-Brunet from IMB-CNM, CSIC  said: “This study opens up the possibility of monitoring injury as it happens and identifying opportunities for intervention when treatment could make the greatest difference.”

• ·The paper “Perfusion-dependent spreading depolarization signatures identify tissue vulnerability in stroke”, is published in Brain DOI: 10.1093/brain/awag305
• Image depicts the graphene-based brain sensor on a mouse's brain

Unlocking ideas with Manchester’s future innovators

MEC Ideas Unlocked, a hands-on event at University Place, brought together students from across the University to explore what it means to think and act like an entrepreneur. Masood Entrepreneurship Centre’s Louise Taylor, Enterprise Manager, and Dan Syder, Ecosystem Development Manager, worked with students in groups as they identified a problem, brainstormed solutions, and shaped their thinking using the MEC Business Model Canvas.

For many, it was a first taste of enterprise: "Usually we have lots of ideas, but we don't know how to structure them, how to convert them into a business," said Prem Todeti, a first-year renewable energy master's student.

The event reflects MEC's university-wide remit — and its momentum. Director Lee Pugalis said the Centre has almost trebled business formation over five years, with over 80 businesses created in the last year alone.

"I never would have met any of these individuals had I not come to the event. It just demonstrated the importance of people from all over the world having different ideas, but you can still come together and make one solid foundation." — Darcey Cornish, final-year International Management student, Alliance Manchester Business School

"Today’s event showed me that every problem has a solution. Collectively, we can work together and do better." — Dr. Soumya Pujar, Master's in Public Health student, University of Manchester

Rooted in the North, global in mindset

The strongest spin-outs think globally from day one. That was the consensus at Northern Gritstone's panel at the Whitworth Art Gallery, which explored how northern start-ups can scale worldwide without losing their regional roots. From life sciences to battery technology, panellists agreed that companies go global because their innovations meet real customer needs around the world.

But global ambition need not mean leaving the North behind. Dr Nicola Broughton, Chair of University of Liverpool spin-out Extentus Pharma, said a company can run sales and a commercial hub in the United States while keeping its research base in the UK. Northern roots also carry growing weight. As Professor Sam Butterworth, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Manchester spin-out Apini Therapeutics, put it: "I think our Manchester origin builds on reputation. There is great science coming out of the Northwest."

One panellist was missing for the best possible reason. Dr Tim Echtermeyer, founder of PhovIR Technologies, a spin-out from the University's Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, was in California meeting investors to secure the company's next funding round.

“Recruiting people with experience, I think, is the most important thing you can do to grow globally. If you get that flywheel going, that's what's really exciting.” — Joanne Hosker, Head of NG Innovation Services, Northern Gritstone

Founders find clearer routes to grow at Sister

If the Whitworth panel showed how far Manchester's strongest ventures can go, Founder Momentum Day showed how entrepreneurs take the first steps. Back for a second edition at Sister, the innovation hub on the University's former North Campus, the day connected early-stage founders with peers and more specialist advice.

Getting ready for investment was a recurring theme. In a workshop on investor readiness, Adam Clayton of GM Business Growth Hub said that investors are now backing the founder as much as the product. So, transparency, resilience and a well-organised data room, count as much as the pitch deck. He urged founders to name their rivals rather than avoid them: "Competition is good because it shows there's money to be made."

“Days like this matter for AI founders like me. You can build something technically brilliant, but you only learn how to win people’s trust by talking to customers, advisers, and other founders.” – Leyla Ari, AI entrepreneur

The afternoon's Silicon Sessions, hosted by Lewis Sayes of Silicon Mingle, swapped pitching for problem-solving. Three founders each shared a real challenge, then experts and peers worked through solutions together, including Karim Bahou, Head of Innovation at Sister, and specialists in marketing, commercial law and grant funding. "We always like to present our businesses as perfect," Sayes said. "That’s why I enjoy doing this so much, because it changes that around."

The support continues after the day. Sister runs free Thursday evening gatherings and co-working space for founders, Silicon Mingle holds a monthly mixer on the last Wednesday of each month, and Founder Momentum Day returns in a few months. As Will Pretsell of Evolve Speakers told the room at the close, "Your business is only going to grow as far as you push it.”

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival

“Students are our most powerful innovators. So, if every student was graduating with an entrepreneurial mindset... it could be well in excess of 50,000 students. That talent pipeline is the biggest impact we can have in terms of innovation.” — Lee Pugalis, Director, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

Coming up

Wednesday’s sessions: Manchester to Market, 09:30–13:00, Ground Floor, University Place and Powerhouse of Innovation Showcase, 11:00–16:00, Whitworth Hall.

Waitlist available: AI Innovation Café

The Partnership Excellence Awards will celebrate outstanding collaborations, partnerships and knowledge exchange activity that deliver impact across The University of Manchester and beyond… (Invite only.)

That streak of rebellion, the instinct to question the rules, try something different and find another way has remained a defining feature of an exciting and innovative career.

Lomax says studying Liberal Studies in Science at The University of Manchester in the 1960s changed the course of his life. It was a degree that combined pure science with subjects including technology, economics and the history of innovation.

“I just wanted to be an entrepreneur and build things, I love business. Manchester had the Atlas 1 computer, which weighed more than two tonnes. It was fascinating, I learned to programme and that became a transformational part of my life”.

After graduating, he took that knowledge into industry, exploring how computers could transform traditional engineering.

In the 1980s, he helped turn Misys, a small technology software company, into a global business employing thousands. In 1998, it became the first UK IT company to enter the FTSE 100.

Five decades on from that first trip to The University of Manchester as a student, Kevin Lomax has returned-this time with a £1m gift to the Founders Fund. The University of Manchester has pledged a further £2m to the fund to help students, staff and graduates access early-stage investment for innovation and business.

The University of Manchester has set an initial goal to raise £10m for The Founders Fund through philanthropic donations.

The investment will address a critical funding gap facing students, staff, and alumni entrepreneurs as they turn ideas into viable high growth companies.

The Fund is part of Challenge Accepted, the University’s ambitious initiative bringing together its global community to tackle major challenges, unlock new ideas and turn innovation into positive impact.

For Lomax, the crucial word is early.

He has spent much of his career investing in early-stage technology companies and has seen first-hand how a relatively small amount of money at the right moment can make a difference to an idea becoming a successful business.

One investment he describes has since reached a valuation of billions of dollars. But four years earlier, the company needed just $150,000 to get started.

“If it didn’t get the $150,000, it wouldn’t have got off the ground” he says.

That, Lomax argues, is the gap the Founders Fund can help address.

“The earliest stage of building a company is also one of the riskiest, 8 out of 10 early ventures may fail. That is precisely why conventional investors can be reluctant to provide the first funding."

Lomax believes that risk is essential.

“That's where the future is. New companies are where much of the future economic growth and job creation will come from. Established businesses can become more efficient and grow steadily, but it is often new businesses that have the potential to grow rapidly and create entirely new markets.”

The Founders Fund is more than simply writing cheques. It is about creating the opportunity to test an idea, learn, adapt and, crucially, sometimes fail. The courage to change direction is something Lomax understands from his own experience.

Misys began with a different ambition. Initially, Lomax wanted to develop computer-aided design technology, but he realised that the company could not build the momentum to compete effectively in the American market. He changed course, turning instead to insurance software.

For today’s entrepreneur, he believes the lesson is simple: don’t become so attached to the original idea that you fail to recognise when the market is telling you to change.

“You start off with one aim, but you quickly recognise that actually you’re going in the wrong direction, and you need to have a different one.”

There are many lessons to learn in business. For Lomax, a fundamental one is that people matter more than ideas.

When he considers investing in an early-stage technology company, he says the first thing he looks at is the people.

“You can have the best idea in the world, but if you don’t have the skill set to deliver on that it won’t succeed. And that means recognising your own limitations.”

For highly technical minds, it could mean bringing in people who understand sales, markets, finance or how to turn brilliant technology into a commercial proposition.

“Understand what needs to be done and trust in the right people to do it.”

The Founders Fund will be launched at the beginning of a week-long programme of activity across The University of Manchester’s inaugural Innovation Festival.

High-potential ventures are expected to typically receive investments of £25,000 to £250,000, in return for a small, non-controlling equity stake. The call for applications is expected to open in January 2027.

Lomax says there is so much to celebrate about Manchester - its innovation, cultural diversity, and welcoming spirit. For him, bringing entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and students together is valuable because nobody knows where the next idea will come from.

“Innovation requires people to put ideas on the table, challenge them and see what happens.”

Lomax fondly remembers doing just that in the early days of his career.

“We would finish work and head to the pub, where they would debate what the company should do next.”

“It was a very creative process where people were coming up with ideas all the time, obviously not all good.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“The important thing is creating an environment where people feel able to suggest something different.”

The University used the opening day of the Innovation Festival to launch A Powerhouse of Innovation, a delivery plan designed to help create “Europe’s most inclusive and impactful innovation ecosystem” by 2035 as part of the University’s Strategy to 2035. The plan sets out how the University will broaden innovation beyond technology transfer and spinouts to include partnerships, skills, communities and social impact.

Announcing a new £10 million University Founders Fund to help students, staff and alumni turn promising ideas into viable businesses, Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice-President for Enterprise and Chief Scientific Officer at Unit M at The University of Manchester, said: “Innovation is for everyone, and it’s not just about technology. It’s about doing new things, new ways.” Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation and Chief Executive Officer, Unit M added: “We like to talk about those $1 billion unicorns. But innovation is really about helping solve societal challenges.” He aspired to Manchester becoming home to the first “social unicorn” using innovation to improve one billion people’s lives.

Founder and University of Manchester board member at Mattillion, Matt Scullion agreed that Manchester is poised for success in the global community by 2035: “It’s a lovely turnabout that I think other city regions in the UK and Europe are looking to Manchester as this beacon of innovation and growth. And, you know, that’s not been an overnight thing, but it’s also not stopping.”

Planning for Manchester as a centre for inclusive innovation

A panel chaired by Elvira Uyarra, Professor of Innovation Studies at Alliance Manchester Business School and Executive Director of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, asked how the University’s ambition for Europe’s most inclusive innovation ecosystem might translate into delivery. Dr Julian Skyrme, Executive Director of Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement, framed inclusion around three questions—innovation for whom, by whom, and how—arguing that affected communities must help shape decisions.

Professor Johannes Glückler (University of Munich) urged Manchester to build relationships between currently disconnected sectors, citing Coventry’s linking of automotive and gaming clusters. Professor Meric Gertler (University of Toronto) said research excellence alone does not guarantee local benefit, but universities can deliberately change that, backed by “local, patient” capital.

Lisa Dale-Clough, Director Economy at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, highlighted the Atom Valley innovation district in Rochdale and said inclusive innovation must improve job quality and solve local problems.

Manchester's impact in early-stage ventures

From life sciences spinouts to next-generation diagnostics, innovators at the Festival shared what it takes to turn promising research into real-world solutions. Dr Alexander Stokes, a founder of Imprinted Diagnostics, described his mission to build a portable blood-testing platform based on innovative molecular imprinted polymer technology. He’s grown the company from a two-person team to a wider network of 30 collaborators and is now looking to the US for investors. Professor Sam Butterworth (Apini Therapeutics) highlighted how University support, translational funding and investor backing helped transform early-stage research into a multimillion-pound venture now advancing towards clinical trials. Across the session, speakers emphasised the importance of collaboration, persistence and learning from setbacks. As Matt Scullion, founder of Manchester AI and data unicorn Matillion, reflected: “We've got this deep reservoir of academic and scientific expertise here... I think we can figure out ways to put it together and build the consequential companies of tomorrow better.”

Announcements and developments

• The University of Manchester is launching a £10m Founders Fund to provide crucial pre-seed investment for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Read the full story.

Coming up

Students at Manchester won’t want to miss Tuesday’s MEC Ideas Unlocked event, 10:00-16:00, The Atrium, University Place. Find out more → https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ideas-unlocked-tickets-1994566716742

Join one of Tuesday’s fringe sessions, including a panel session “Building companies that are rooted in the North but Global in mindset” sponsored by Northern Gritstone, 10:15-12:00, Whitworth Art Gallery. Reserve your spot → https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/building-companies-that-are-rooted-in-the-north-but-global-in-mindset-tickets-1999374881091

The research, funded by The Christie Charity and led by scientists at The University of Manchester, aims to transform how doctors detect breast cancer that develops during or just after pregnancy, which is often discovered late when the cancer has already spread, which leads to poorer survival rates.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in women aged 35–64 in the UK, and is increasing twice as fast in women under 50 compared to women over 50. While breastfeeding is generally associated with lowering the long-term risk of developing breast cancer, risk rises during pregnancy and after giving birth and gradually falls over the following decade.

The study, called BRACELET-BM, has started recruiting participants at the Nightingale Centre in Wythenshawe, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). One of the first mothers to donate breast milk is married mum-of -three, Hannah Brennan, 31, from Glossop in Derbyshire who has a 12-month-old baby girl, Ada, as well as a five-year old daughter and a two-year-old son.

The registered midwife who is currently studying for a PhD at The University of Manchester said: “As soon as I saw the research team were looking to recruit women who were breast-feeding, I wanted to do it. As I’m doing my doctorate, I’m passionate about people being involved in research. My paternal grandmother died aged 51 from breast cancer and sadly I never met her. However, I was named after her and I’m told I look like her so I’m doing this for her as well as my two daughters.

“Participating in the BRACELET-BM study was really straight-forward. I just gave a blood sample and donated some breast milk and answered a few questions. As a midwife I feel it’s really important to help other women, so if my small contribution can benefit other mothers in the future, I’m just glad to be able to make a difference and would encourage other breastfeeding mums to take part.”

Pregnancy-Related Breast Cancer, diagnosed during pregnancy or shortly afterwards, occurs in approximately 1 in 3,000 pregnancies in the general population. Among women at very high risk of breast cancer, such as BRCA gene carriers, rates have been reported as high as 1 in 50 pregnancies. Between 35-50% of breast cancer cases in women under 55 years of age are within 10 years of having a baby and 5% of breast cancer in women under 45 are within a year of giving birth. Better breast cancer screening is needed especially in younger women.

The BRACELET-BM study is led by Dr Niki Flaum from The University of Manchester, in partnership with Dr Florent Mouliere at the CRUK National Biomarker Centre. Professor Sacha Howell, consultant oncologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and MFT is a co-lead on the study.

Dr Niki Flaum who is also a consultant oncologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust said: “There is an urgent need to find better, more reliable ways to detect breast cancer in women during and after pregnancy. We believe breast milk may provide a unique and non-invasive window into what is happening inside the breast. We know surprising little about the genetic changes to breast milk, as this bio-fluid has been remarkably under-researched until now.

“Pregnancy-related breast cancer is more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, when the cancer has already spread, and survival outcomes are significantly worse compared with women of the same age who have not recently given birth. Diagnosis is particularly challenging because breast imaging during pregnancy and lactation is often unreliable.

“Thanks to The Christie Charity’s support, Manchester has the opportunity to lead internationally in developing a completely new approach to breast cancer detection. If reliable methods for detecting cancer-related DNA in breast milk can be found, we hope future research will test whether this approach could be developed into a screening tool for women with breast cancer or those at high risk.”

Initially the study will recruit 40 lactating women, 25 with general population risk and 15 from a high-risk category where there is a family history of breast cancer. Researchers will collect breast milk and blood samples from patients at the Nightingale Centre and Saint Mary’s Hospital, also part of MFT, to develop a Manchester Breast Biofluid Biobank with more than 200 samples available for future research.

The team within the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, part of the University of Manchester will analyse the samples of fluid.

Dr Florent Mouliere, who leads a research team at the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre in Manchester where the samples of breast fluid are being analysed said: “Scientists in our laboratories have identified tiny fragments of genetic material shed by cells in some samples of breast milk that have been donated for this study. The DNA structure is unique in breast milk, and we now understand what this DNA looks like which is a major step forward.

“We now need to focus on the main aim of this study, which is to explore how best to collect the samples, work out if they can be safely frozen in a domestic freezer (which would be a convenient method for a nursing mum), what time of day is best for a sample to be collected, and if other factors such as an infection in the mother or baby would affect the sample results.” An international study (September 2023) showed that circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) could be detected in breast milk, but the best methods for collecting, processing and storing breast milk for this purpose have not yet been established.

Alongside donating blood and breast milk samples, participants will complete questionnaires and interviews to assess how acceptable this approach is, ensuring any future screening method is practical as well as effective.

Lousie Hadley, chief executive of The Christie Charity, said “We are very pleased to be able to fund this important research which could improve early detection of breast cancer in high-risk women, including BRCA carrier, enable screening specifically for pregnancy-related breast cancer and help predict risk of postpartum breast cancer. It would also provide reassurance for high-risk women wishing to breastfeed, who are currently often advised to stop early so MRI screening can resume.

“This support is part of The Christie Charity’s commitment to providing £30 million of much-needed funding by 2030 to enable our brightest researchers to make game-changing discoveries right here in Manchester. We are very grateful for the continued support of all our donors in helping us reach this goal.”

The initial feasibility study for BRACELET-BM was funded by Prevent Breast Cancer, Cancer Research UK and the Academy of Medical Sciences.

For more information on how to take part in this research and donate breast milk and a blood sample should email the-christie.bracelet-BM@nhs.net or call 0161 918 7694. Anyone wishing to donate to The Christie Charity can visit Help support research at The Christie Dr Niki Flaum and Professor Sacha Howell are both part of the Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester, which aims to develop screening strategies and biomarkers to identify cancer and cancer risk sooner.

The University has set an initial goal of raising £10 million for the Fund, predominantly through philanthropic support.

So far, the Founders Fund has received a £2m commitment from the University and a £1m philanthropic gift from alumnus and technology entrepreneur Kevin Lomax.

The announcement marks the beginning of a week-long programme of activity across the University's inaugural Innovation Festival.

The Founders Fund will address a critical funding gap facing students, staff, and alumni entrepreneurs as they turn ideas into viable businesses. Alongside investment, founders will be connected to Unit M’s wider innovation ecosystem, giving them access to support, expertise, and networks as they launch and grow their ventures. As ventures develop, they will be better positioned to attract further private investment, including potential seed-stage backing from investors such as Northern Gritstone.

It will provide founder-friendly equity investment to high-potential start up and spin out ventures affiliated with the University, helping entrepreneurs launch and grow ambitious companies, attract follow-on private investment, and retain entrepreneurial talent within the region.

The Fund is part of Challenge Accepted, the University’s ambitious initiative bringing together it’s global community to tackle major challenges, unlock new ideas and turn innovation into positive impact.

Returns from successful investment will be reinvested in future ventures, helping to support successive generations of university entrepreneurs.

Over time, the Fund will contribute to the University’s ambition to create Europe’s most inclusive and impactful innovation ecosystem by 2035, while generating lasting financial, economic, and reputational value for the University and the region.

Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice President (Enterprise) and CSO, Unit M at The University of Manchester, said:

“I am incredibly excited to be launching the Founders Fund. It represents a strong commitment from the University to our innovation agenda and to backing talented students, colleagues and alumni who have the ambition to turn great ideas into high-growth ventures. I am looking forward to seeing the quality of ideas that come through the pipeline and helping more founders take their first steps towards impact.”

Kevin Lomax, University of Manchester alumnus and entrepreneur said:

“The University of Manchester has fantastic technology, research, and graduates, as well as an incredible culture and environment. I want to see it become a real heartbeat of the UK. I hope the Founders Fund will help create a legacy, supporting entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into businesses, creating jobs, and helping drive economic growth.”

Investments are expected to range from £25,000 to £250,000, typically in exchange for a small, non-controlling equity stake.

The inaugural call for applications is expected to open in January 2027.

End

Manchester has been ranked eighth in the UK for another year whilst falling slightly by four places to 60 overall in the world in the latest 2027 rankings of 2,297 universities. Its overall score is 74.8, a marginal decrease of 0.1 points compared with the previous year.

It follows progress in the latest domestic league tables, with Manchester rising 15 places to 20th in the Guardian University Guide 2027 and being named Northwest University of the Year in The Sunday Times Good University Guide.

The results come as the University begins to implement Manchester 2035, its ten-year strategy to strengthen excellence in teaching, learning and research. It also underlines the need to improve Manchester’s international position in an increasingly competitive global higher education environment.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “Manchester remains one of the UK’s leading universities, but we recognise that our global position has declined and that we need to improve.

“Manchester 2035 sets out how we will build on our strengths, raise the quality and consistency of our teaching and research and translate more of our discoveries into benefits for society. This will take sustained effort across the University, but we have a clear strategy and a strong foundation from which to make progress.”

Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research of The University of Manchester, said: “The recent suite of university rankings are a useful gauge for us as we begin to put our strategy into practice.

“By bringing together outstanding research, new ideas and partnerships, Manchester makes a substantial positive difference to communities locally, nationally and globally.

“Rankings don’t measure everything we value, or everything universities contribute to society. But they do give us a useful indication of where we can keep improving. I’m grateful for the continuing hard work of colleagues across the University and for their commitment to our students, our research and the communities we serve.”

The Times Higher Education assessment looks at universities across teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook.

A University of Manchester undergraduate has won second place in the Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026 with a concept designed to improve early wildfire detection whilst reducing reliance on energy-intensive data centres.

PyroWatch, developed by Computer Science student Marwan Barakat Abdelfattah, proposes a network of affordable devices that can analyse local weather and environmental conditions to help predict wildfire risk and support faster response.

The project was named runner-up in the national competition, which challenged UK university students to design AI systems that can learn from each other without exchanging raw data between edge nodes or uploading raw data to the cloud.

Marwan received a £2,000 prize for his second-place finish.

How PyroWatch works

Wildfires are becoming an increasingly urgent sustainability challenge, with devastating consequences for communities, livelihoods, food production, public health and carbon emissions. PyroWatch was inspired by the growing visibility of wildfires in places such as California, as well as the need for more accessible tools that could help governments, fire services, local authorities and businesses prepare for and respond to fires earlier.

The concept uses solar-powered devices with batteries to run small AI models close to where data is generated. By processing information locally rather than relying on constant data transmission to central servers, the system is designed to reduce communications, energy use and dependence on data centres.

Unlike some existing wildfire monitoring approaches, which can depend on expensive thermal cameras and fixed infrastructure, PyroWatch is intended to be low-cost, scalable and deployable across high-risk landscapes, industrial sites and remote locations. Marwan said the system could also learn from local coordinates and previous fire conditions to estimate where risks may emerge or continue.

Marwan Barakat Abdelfattah said: “Being selected as a finalist and winning second place means a lot. It was the first time I had produced an independent research document of this kind, and I learned so much through the process. It showed me how much work researchers put into producing credible ideas that could make a real-world difference.”

The Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026 is hosted by MICROP Inc. and its sister company Arculus System in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). The competition invited students to explore AI approaches that keep data local, operate within limited computing and energy resources, and exchange knowledge to create collective intelligence across distributed systems.

James Yang, CEO and Co-founder of MICROIP Inc. and Arculus System, said: "Well done to the talented creator behind Pyro Watch on a brilliant individual submission. The creativity shown in tackling real-world environmental monitoring and thermal management through intelligent, localized AI design is highly commendable. It is inspiring to see such fresh thinking from a solo innovator, and this unique perspective holds great promise for shaping a safer, more sustainable future."

Viola Jardon, Head of Innovation Programmes at CISL, said: “The future of AI cannot simply be about using more data, more computing power and more energy to become smarter. The real innovation challenge is how we create greater intelligence within real-world constraints. This challenge was all about giving the next generation of UK talent the opportunity to explore AI that can collaborate while keeping data local, use resources more intelligently, and ultimately deliver more sustainable outcomes.”

Further information is available at: Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026 [cisl.cam.ac.uk].

Applications are now open for the second cohort of the Unit M deep tech accelerator: Greater Manchester’s programme for researchers, technical founders and early-stage ventures turning scientific and engineering breakthroughs into investment-ready ventures. 7–10 ventures will be selected, with applications open to eligible teams across Greater Manchester.

Delivered by Unit M, The University of Manchester's innovation unit, and backed by Greater Manchester Investment Zone funding, the programme runs from November 2026 to April 2027. Applications close 19 October 2026.

The deep tech accelerator is designed specifically for founders and researchers developing technologies rooted in significant scientific discoveries or engineering advances.

Unlike traditional startup programmes, it focuses on the unique challenges associated with commercialising deep tech innovations, helping participants navigate the journey from breakthrough research to investable business.

Many early-stage deep tech innovations need focused support to navigate the journey from research and development to commercial and societal impact.

Earlier in 2026, cohort 1 supported 10 deep tech ventures from across the University and the region working on next-generation health technologies, clean energy, advanced materials, agritech and space technologies.

Patrick Sarsfield, Founder and CEO of Graphene Thermal, and a member of the deep tech accelerator cohort #, said: “The Unit M deep tech accelerator is what we needed to prepare ourselves to be investment ready. All of the mentorship and guidance that we’ve had has come through the university support system. It’s really been at the centre of getting this business off the ground.”

Tim Bailey, Founder and CEO of WarmTronics, and a member of the deep tech accelerator cohort #1, said: “The accelerator helped us move forward in our commercialisation journey. Funding allowed us to do marketing and customer discovery that we initially wouldn't be able to afford. Off the back of that, we did an exhibition in London, we met with a major supermarket chain and we're now looking at trialling our products with them.”

Why apply?

Teams selected for cohort #2 of the programme will receive £25,000 in equity-free funding, alongside dedicated commercialisation support, access to specialist mentors and industry experts, customer discovery and market validation frameworks, and training on how to pitch effectively to investors.

Each venture will also benefit from support from experienced University of Manchester MBA students and the opportunity to present to investors and strategic partners at a dedicated demo day.

The programme is open to researchers, founders and spinouts from universities across Greater Manchester, as well as technical founders from the region's wider deep tech community. Building on the success of the inaugural cohort, cohort #2 will place an increased emphasis on engaging teams from across the city-region, reflecting a continued commitment to strengthening Greater Manchester's deep tech ecosystem.

What is deep tech?

Deep tech refers to technologies built on significant scientific discoveries or engineering advances that create new capabilities and solve real-world problems.

Areas of interest for the programme include:

· Advanced materials and manufacturing;

· Quantum technologies;

· Artificial intelligence and data infrastructure;

· Biotechnology and health technologies;

· Climate and energy technologies;

· Robotics and automation;

· And space and aerospace technologies.

Who is eligible?

We are looking for teams or individuals based in Greater Manchester who are ready to spend six months building towards investment. We are looking for:

• Researchers whose work has commercial potential you haven't yet acted on, or
• Technical founders with a working prototype or early validation.

Not sure if you’re eligible? Come along to our info sessions on 29 September and 12 October or ask us directly by emailing community@unit-m.co.uk. Or join us at the Powerhouse of Innovation Showcase on 7 October, during the Innovation Festival, where we will have a stand and can answer your questions.

Ready to apply?

Applications close 19 October 2026, with space for 7–10 teams in cohort #2.

Start your application

Further details on eligibility, information sessions and the application process are available via the deep tech accelerator page on Unit M’s website.

Key dates

• Applications close: 19 October 2026
• Information sessions: 29 September and 12 October 2026
• Programme delivery: November 2026 to April 2027

Why Greater Manchester, why now?

The deep tech accelerator is part of a wider ambition to make Greater Manchester a leading hub for deep tech innovation, supported through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) Investment Zone funding. It is designed to help strengthen the region’s growing deep tech ecosystem by connecting founders with expertise, networks and opportunities for growth.

Bridging the gap between research and commercialisation, the programme provides the expertise, connections and support needed to help turn deep tech innovation into investable businesses with the potential for significant societal and economic impact.

Four Manchester academics made Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering has today announced that four academics from The University of Manchester, Professors Danielle George, Alan Partridge, and Rich Curry, and Visiting Professor Kirsty Armer will be part of the newest cohort of leading figures in the field of technology and engineering to be appointed Fellows.

They will be joining the Academy in its 50th year and are part of a cohort of 75 new Fellows, who are making an incredible impact across the engineering and technology sector with innovations in clean energy, AI, medicine and public health; joining leading figures who have influenced academia and business, worked to widen participation in engineering for people from underrepresented backgrounds, and provided expert policy advice to government.

Professors George, Armer, Partridge, and Curry will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 19 October, when each Fellow will sign the roll book. In joining the Fellowship, they will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy’s aim to engineer better lives.

Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:

“This year’s cohort will be joining a community of over 1,700 top engineers and innovators in the UK and around the world. Together, we ensure that bright ideas are supported, scaled and shared, turning ambition into innovation and innovation into impact. We aim to strengthen education, skills and inclusion to inspire and equip the engineers of today and tomorrow.”

Manchester Academics awarded prestigious Colin Campbell Mitchell Award

The Academy has also awarded Professors Barry Lennox (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) and Michael Fisher (Computer Science) the prestigious Colin Campbell Mitchell Award, given to a team of engineers who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of any field of UK engineering across the past four years. Visiting Professor Kirsty Hewitson was also part of the team receiving the Academy honour.

This year, it is given in recognition of the pioneering approach that the University of Manchester has been taking in its approach to developing robotic systems for deployment in hazardous environments.

Their work has delivered significant engineering, safety and economic benefits, including robotic deployments that reduce human exposure to dangerous environments, estimated savings of around £20 million for Sellafield and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, and a projected future value of £500 million through wider adoption of the technologies developed. They have also pioneered the use of digital twins and simulation environments to improve safety, training and operational efficiency, while contributing to the development of robotics policy and responsible AI practices in the UK and internationally.

Chair of the Academy’s Awards Committee, Luke Logan (FREng), said of the research,

"By translating robotics and AI research into real-world industrial applications, this team has transformed how hazardous and complex engineering tasks can be carried out. Their work is reducing risks to people, improving productivity and delivering substantial economic benefits across multiple sectors. Through an outstanding collaboration spanning industry, academia and the public sector, they have demonstrated how engineering innovation can deliver real-world impact."

In her role as Visiting Professor, Dr Hewitson will help to embed key principles for translating and commercialising innovations, as well as provide mentoring to underrepresented students, building industry links to provide future career opportunities.

Dr Hewitson, a distinguished expert in the translation and commercialisation of technologies across energy, defence and life science sectors, is visiting from the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) – an end-user led collaboration between the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd, AWE Nuclear Security Technologies and The University of Manchester.

In her role at UKAEA and as Director of RAICo, Dr Hewitson oversees the development of robotics for nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering, working with industry, academic and international partners to help remove people from hazardous environments and achieve safer, faster and more cost-effective solutions.

Prior to RAICo, Dr Hewitson had previously held positions as Chief Executive Officer at Innovate UK KTN, Vice-President of Strategy and Innovation at the National Nuclear Laboratory and Vice-President of Life Sciences at Ploughshare Innovations.

Dr Hewitson said of the announcement, “I feel privileged to have been appointed as a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester. I have seen first-hand how essential our relationship with academia is for connecting different ideas from different fields in ways that would not otherwise be apparent."

A new test to identify cells collected from urine and vaginal fluid could help rule out womb and other cancers in most women who experience bleeding after the menopause, find University of Manchester researchers.

Their study published in Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health on 22/09/26 say the test could potentially reduce the need for invasive hospital investigations, easing anxiety during what can be a distressing time for many women.

The research team, also based at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester, showed that the new test can detect womb cancer, also known as endometrial cancer, with high accuracy.

Postmenopausal bleeding currently triggers urgent investigation for possible cancer, often involving a series of uncomfortable, invasive and costly tests, even though most women will not ultimately receive a cancer diagnosis.

Further work from the group, also published in the same journal today, showed that current tests are poorly calibrated for people from Black ethnic backgrounds, leading to health inequalities in diagnosis, treatment and patient outcomes.

However, the new test was particularly effective at detecting aggressive and advanced cancers, and performed exceptionally well in Black women, who are twice as likely to die from womb cancer as White women in the UK.

The researchers say the new test could therefore help to reduce health inequities and improve outcomes for previously disadvantaged groups, including those who are unable to tolerate routine procedures.

The test could eventually be used in primary care and other community settings, helping speed up diagnosis and provide reassurance for many women.

Womb cancer affects nearly 10,000 women in the UK each year, but only 5–10% of women investigated for bleeding after the menopause will have cancer.

Despite that, most undergo invasive hospital tests that can be uncomfortable, costly and sometimes need repeating.

Previous studies led by Manchester researchers have suggested cancer cells can be detected in urine and vaginal fluid samples.

The DETECT study - as it is known - was designed to assess whether these simple, non-invasive tests could accurately identify women at risk while safely reassuring others.

The study involved 1,864 women attending hospitals *with postmenopausal bleeding, making it one of the largest evaluations of this approach to date.

Before having their routine clinical investigations, participants provided a urine sample and a vaginal fluid sample, which were examined for abnormal cells by specialist cytopathologists who did not know the women’s diagnoses.

A total of 115 women were found to have cancer, including 99 cases of womb cancer and a smaller number of other pelvic cancers.

When urine and vaginal cytology (cell sample) results were combined, the test correctly identified more than 80% of cancers and achieved a negative predictive value of 98.8% for womb cancer, meaning women with a negative result were highly unlikely to have the disease.

The vaginal test performed slightly better than the urine test alone, although both showed promising diagnostic accuracy.

The test detected almost all aggressive cancers, identifying 95.8% of high-grade tumours and 96.4% of cancers that had already spread beyond the uterus.

It also picked up 100% of cancers in Black women with 96% specificity, meaning that the test showed near perfect performance in this small subgroup of women.

The findings suggest the approach could become a valuable triage tool, helping clinicians decide which women need urgent invasive investigations while providing reassurance for many others.

Lead researcher Professor Emma Davidson from The University of Manchester and Honorary Consultant in Gynaecological Oncology at MFT, said: “Bleeding after the menopause is understandably alarming for women because it can be a sign of cancer, but the vast majority of those investigated will not have the disease.

“At the moment, many women face invasive, uncomfortable tests that can be stressful as well as costly for health services before cancer can be ruled out.

“Our study shows that a simple test using urine and vaginal samples could help identify the women most likely to have cancer while safely reassuring many others much earlier in the diagnostic pathway.

“If further studies confirm these findings in routine practice, this approach has the potential to transform care for thousands of women every year.”

Prof Davidson, who is also Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme Co-Lead at the NIHR BRC: Manchester, added: “Further studies are now needed to assess how the test would perform in routine clinical practice and whether it can reduce the number of invasive procedures women undergo.

“If successfully introduced into healthcare settings, the test could offer a faster, less invasive and more patient-friendly route to diagnosing womb cancer.”

• The study was funded by The Jon Moulton Charity Trust and the women were recruited from gynaecology clinics at seven hospital sites across North West England: St Mary’s Hospital, Trafford General Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital and Tameside Hospital.
• The paper Urine and vaginal cytology for endometrial cancer detection in women with postmenopausal bleeding: the Developing Tests for Endometrial Cancer detection (DETECT) diagnostic accuracy study is available here:https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanogw/article/PIIS3050-5038(26)00222-0/fulltext DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/

Publication details

The study was published in xxx journal.

DOI: http://xxx.

Three new Future Leaders Fellowships are empowering Manchester researchers to tackle very different scientific challenges – from predicting extreme ocean waves to designing miniature biological factories to wearable health technology that transcends health inequalities – with potentially far-reaching consequences.

Backed by a combined £5.4 million from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Dr Samuel Draycott, Dr Lukas Hughes-Noehrer and Dr Richard Obexer are among the recipients of its 2026 Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) awards. The funding will support four years of ambitious research in fields spanning ocean engineering, biotechnology and digital enabled health.

The Future Leaders Fellowships: at a glance

• How well we understand the ocean matters increasingly for the infrastructure we build, the energy we generate and our response to climate change. Dr Samuel Draycott is investigating what happens when waves break in the complex conditions found in the ocean, with real implications for how we design offshore wind farms and other marine infrastructure, and for improving the accuracy of climate and ocean models that predict how the sea absorbs and releases carbon dioxide and other gases.
• Across Manchester's communities, Dr Lukas Hughes-Noehrer is taking research directly into patients’ homes – creating a real-world test environment to help make wearable health technologies a routine part of cancer care. He's working to discover whether continuous data from wearable devices can help NHS clinical teams support patients through cancer surgery, and how to make sure this new model of care reaches everyone, including those at risk of digital exclusion.

• Meanwhile, in another laboratory in Manchester, Dr Richard Obexer has been looking at the world on a different scale – exploring how nature packages enzymes inside tiny structures in living cells. He’s working to discover whether those same principles can be engineered to manufacture medicines, recycle carbon and produce valuable chemicals more efficiently.

Dr Samuel Draycott: Wavebreak

Offshore wind farms, ships and other marine structures all need to withstand the most powerful waves the ocean can produce, but many engineering models simplify the sea in ways that don’t fully reflect real-world conditions. This potentially affects how accurately we can predict the forces these structures will face. 

Recent work by Dr Draycott and collaborators, published in Nature, showed that realistic multi-directional waves can grow to around twice the height at which they were assumed to break. Through this fellowship, Dr Draycott and his colleagues will build on this research to recreate even more realistic ocean conditions in their laboratory, combining waves travelling in different directions with currents that change speed with depth, as they do in the real ocean. 

The team will study what happens when waves break and what happens in the seconds afterwards, including how they move particles such as microplastics and phytoplankton, draw air into the ocean and transfer gases such as CO2 between the sea and atmosphere. This could improve our understanding of everything from pollution and marine ecosystems to the ocean’s role in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. 

Dr Draycott, Senior Lecturer in Ocean Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering and Management, University of Manchester, said: 
“We’ve long relied on simplified models to understand how waves behave, but the real ocean is much more complex.

“This matters because engineers use estimates of extreme waves when designing offshore wind turbines, ships and platforms, so a better understanding of wave breaking could help us improve the safety and efficiency of this infrastructure. These are crucial industries, with the UK aiming to increase its offshore wind capacity to at least 43 gigawatts by 2030 and a sector already employing tens of thousands of people .” 

The research, funded with £1.67m from UKRI, will take place in the University’s new Hydrodynamics Laboratory, using high-performance computer simulations and laboratory experiments to measure how waves break, how much air they draw into the water, and how they move particles.

Dr Lukas Hughes-Noehrer: Manchester Digital Health Living Lab

Wearable devices can monitor vital signs such as heart rate, activity and sleep, providing clinicians with valuable data to inform on-going patient care. The NHS 10 Year Health Plan identifies them as one of its “5 Big Bets” for transforming healthcare, but their use across the health service remains patchy, with benefits not reaching all communities equally. Through his fellowship, Dr Lukas Hughes-Noehrer will establish the Manchester Digital Health Living Lab, a real-world testbed where patients, families, community organisations, clinicians, researchers, industry partners, and local government work together to design and evaluate wearable-enabled care.

The £2.4m-UKRI funded programme is built around three strands. The first will work with communities to understand what helps or hinders people in adopting wearables, with a focus on accessibility, trust, usability and digital inclusion. The second will develop secure systems that connect wearable data to electronic health records and explore how continuous streams of patient-generated data can be transformed into clinically meaningful real-time information to support care. The third will embed a wearable-enabled clinical trial, working with approximately 800 patients undergoing lung and hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery to trial adoption and evaluate their potential to improve health outcomes.

Findings will help shape the future use of wearable technologies across healthcare and inform the development of digitally enabled hospitals and care pathways in Greater Manchester and beyond.

Dr Hughes-Noehrer, Lecturer in Mobile and Wearable Health Technology in the Division of Informatics, Imaging, and Data Sciences, and Lead for Computational Medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said:

“As someone who works at the intersection of healthcare and research, I see first-hand how health inequalities can affect who benefits from new models of care and emerging technologies. Wearables have huge potential to provide more personalised, proactive support, but only if everyone can access, use and trust them. By working directly with our communities in Manchester, I want to build a model for wearable-enabled care that is fair, safe and trusted, and that other places in the UK and beyond can follow.”

Dr Richard Obexer: De Novo Biomolecular Condensates for Programmable Assembly of Enzyme Cascades

Inside our cells are tiny droplets that act a little like miniature factories. Without being surrounded by a membrane, they can bring particular proteins and enzymes together, allowing chemical reactions to happen faster and more efficiently.

These structures known as ‘biomolecular condensates’, occur widely inside living cells, and Dr Richard Obexer is exploring whether we can recreate this natural trick, then engineer it to make useful products more efficiently.

His new fellowship, funded by £1.3m from UKRI, will enable him to combine AI-powered protein design with a laboratory process inspired by natural evolution, to rapidly test thousands of protein variations. The aim is to create molecules that can encourage these droplets to form around a much wider range of enzymes, while controlling what happens inside them. This could give researchers unprecedented control over the conditions inside each biological factory.

The team will initially test their approach by building a five-enzyme system to manufacture islatravir, an anti-HIV drug that’s currently made using conventional chemical synthesis. Next, they will explore whether a ten-enzyme system could turn CO2 and methanol into starch, potentially creating a route for converting captured carbon into useful materials. Finally, they’ll rebuild a biosynthetic pathway in bacteria to produce trunkamide, an anti-cancer compound that has proven difficult to manufacture at a useful scale.

Dr Obexer, BBSRC Discovery Fellow in Chemical Biology and Biological Chemistry, in the Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, said:

“Nature has already evolved incredibly efficient ways of organising chemistry inside cells, and we’re now asking whether we can recreate and engineer these to build tiny biological factories for ourselves. If we can combine that with AI-designed proteins, we could make entirely new manufacturing processes possible, from medicines to ways of turning captured carbon into useful products.”

The University of Manchester and the Jeremy Coller Foundation have announced the finalists for the Coller AI Competition with one early-stage venture set to receive a £100,000 equity investment to help turn it’s responsible AI innovation into a growing venture.

The competition attracted applicants from student, colleagues and alumni and brings together the University’s research strength, entrepreneurial talent and commitment to responsible innovation. It aims to identify and support founders developing AI solutions that are not only commercially promising but designed to benefit people and society.

The shortlisted Teams are:

Health Equity Chain

Health Equity Chain is building the Treatment Analyser System, an AI tool that helps doctors and patients make better prostate cancer treatment decisions. It shows a patient where they stand among people like them, making complex clinical information clear, understandable and equitable.

LanthaGen Bio Ltd

LanthaGen Bio has built an AI platform that simulates how biomolecules (proteins and peptides) bind metals, so new metal capturing proteins can be designed on a computer instead of found by trial and error. By drastically shortening the process it removes the energy, chemicals, plastic and solvent waste that repeated screening consumes.

SporeSense

SporeSense has built an AI-powered early-warning system that detects crop disease before any symptoms are visible. This lets farmers act early, cutting crop losses, reducing unnecessary pesticide use, and supporting more resilient, sustainable food production as climate change increases pressure on global agriculture.

SenseVale

SenseVale makes smart glasses that help blind and partially sighted people independently navigate their surroundings with minimal assistance. Sensors in the frame pick up what is around you, and the glasses tell you what they find through sound and vibration.

Forkprint Ltd

Forkprint is developing AI-enabled models that analyse any given food business’ data, such as recipes, menus and supplier information, to provide accurate greenhouse gas emissions GHGE information. This will enable food service businesses to assess and track the GHGE coming from their ingredients and food preparation processes, as well as rapidly develop lower-carbon recipes.

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

The Coller AI Competition is supported by the Jeremy Coller Foundation, 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. By supporting ambitious ideas, the Foundation helps drive lasting change and empowers the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.

The winner will be announced at The University of Manchester Innovation Festival on the 9^th of October 2026.

The University of Manchester Innovation Festival takes place Monday 5th October to Friday 9th October 2026

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/collaborate/innovation-festival/events/?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=digital_newsletter&utm_campaign=innovationfestival26

The three-year appointment will support research, teaching and knowledge exchange at the intersection of artificial intelligence, creative practice, copyright and digital provenance. It builds on a collaboration initiated through Creative Manchester, beginning with Melchior’s two-day visit to the University in May 2026.

An artist, composer and creative technologist, Melchior has spent more than 25 years exploring how music, science and emerging technology can reshape creative experience. His projects range from pioneering an artist website with David Bowie and helping shape Björk Digital and the Vulnicura VR album, to Massive Attack’s Fantom app and Mezzanine DNA experiment. He is founder of Genotone and creator of The Logos, a cathedral-scale collaborative installation with MIT that transforms signals from deep space into spatial sound.

He also advises UK government technical working groups on AI and copyright convened by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. In this work, he represents organisations whose combined membership includes around 30,000 artists: the Music Managers Forum, Featured Artists Coalition and Association for Electronic Music.

Building on “Proof of Human”

Creative Manchester welcomed Melchior to the University in May 2026 for a programme of public engagement, student learning and interdisciplinary exchange around AI and creative authorship. Colleagues from Computer Science, Law and Humanities joined representatives from Greater Manchester’s creative sector to explore the challenges and opportunities generative AI presents for the creative and intellectual property sectors.

At the centre of the visit was “Proof of Human: AI, Copyright, and the Fight for Creative Authorship”, a public lecture held at SISTER in Manchester’s innovation district. Melchior examined how creative work can be attributed, protected and rewarded as generative AI becomes more widely used, making the case for reliable systems that verify authorship and trace the provenance of creative material.

He also led a masterclass for undergraduate and postgraduate music and composition students on moving music from studio to release while maintaining provenance and control of intellectual property. The visit created opportunities for collaboration across Computer Science, the School of Law and the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.

Connecting expertise across disciplines and sectors

As Honorary Professor, Melchior will work with colleagues across the University over the next three years to develop research, teaching and knowledge exchange focused on AI, creativity and authorship. He will contribute to collaborative research into provenance technologies and their practical application within creative ecosystems, helping to translate emerging technical approaches into policy, industry and cultural contexts.

He will also support student learning through guest lectures, workshops and the co-supervision of PhD projects. The appointment will help shape interdisciplinary opportunities connecting computing, music, law, archives and public policy, while providing a foundation for future funding bids and longer-term partnerships in responsible and trustworthy AI.

September visit and podcast

Melchior will return to the University from 21-25 September 2026 for an engagement programme celebrating his new role. He will deliver a seminar for the Department of Computer Science and take part in research and knowledge exchange meetings with colleagues from across the University. The programme will explore potential collaborations connecting computing, the creative industries, policy and the cultural sector.

The visit will coincide with the release of a podcast episode on creative ownership, featuring Melchior in conversation with Parvathy Nair, a postgraduate researcher in AI and patent law. Part of a series on the ethics of AI in the cultural and creative industries, the episode considers how artists can retain ownership of their work within the current technological and regulatory landscape.

Supporting Manchester 2035

The collaboration aligns with From Manchester for the world, the University’s strategy to 2035. The strategy seeks to define what a great university looks like for the 21st century by creating knowledge for the public good, locally and globally. By connecting computer science with the creative industries, cultural organisations, law and policymaking, the appointment supports the University’s commitments to interdisciplinary research, partnership, responsible AI and translating research excellence into practical impact.

“Creative work is becoming fluid. It can be copied, transformed and recombined at machine speed, while authorship and ownership struggle to keep up,” said Andrew. “This appointment is an opportunity to bring computer scientists, artists, lawyers and policymakers together to build practical systems that keep identity and provenance attached to creative work.”

"I am delighted to welcome Andrew Melchior as Honorary Professor in Computer Science here in Manchester," said Professor Andrew Stewart, Head of the Department of Computer Science. “He has a unique perspective at the intersection of AI, provenance, and creativity drawn from deep technical knowledge. Andrew’s particular lens is critical in helping us navigate the AI challenges and opportunities we face with respect to creative authorship. I very much look forward to his research collaborations and teaching contributions, both within the Department of Computer Science and, more broadly, across our University.”

Andrew has a remarkable ability to bridge worlds that do not always naturally come together, from computer science and policy to music, the arts and the creative industries," said Professor Michelle Phillips, Director of Creative Manchester and Professor of Music. “At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping how creative work is produced, shared and valued, his expertise offers an important perspective on how we can protect and support human creativity.”

“His visit to Manchester earlier this year sparked valuable conversations between researchers, students, policymakers and creative practitioners, demonstrating the potential for genuinely interdisciplinary collaboration. We are delighted to build on that momentum through this appointment and look forward to developing new research, learning and engagement opportunities together over the coming years.”

Around one million people are living with dementia in the UK, yet more than a third do not have a diagnosis. Dementia risk is shaped by a mix of health, lifestyle and environmental factors, but there are positive steps people can take to reduce their risk.

The Manchester Brain Health Centre (MBHC) has been spearheaded by Alzheimer’s Society in partnership with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, The Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre at The University of Manchester and supported by NHS Greater Manchester.

MBHC is a unique joined-up, single service bringing together psychiatrists, vascular specialists, clinical academics, and a multidisciplinary team to identify and support people at the earliest stages of memory loss. People will benefit from advanced diagnostic techniques such as MRI scans, lumbar punctures, heart health checks, and behavioural assessments, delivering an earlier and accurate diagnosis. This approach will also help identify underlying risk factors and inform the most effective treatment and support plan for individuals.

People who meet the requirements for the MBHC will be identified through existing memory assessment services and referred directly. Those who take part in the two-year pilot in central Manchester will also be given the chance, if they are eligible, to take part in research and clinical trials.

Alzheimer’s Society Brain Health Advisers will work alongside NHS clinicians to offer personalised support, guidance and information to people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of memory and thinking changes, or dementia, as well as to anyone looking to improve their brain health through achievable lifestyle and health changes.

Michelle Dyson CB, Alzheimer’s Society Chief Executive Officer, said: “Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, but it is not an inevitable part of ageing. Nearly half (45%) of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented or delayed by addressing health and lifestyle factors, throughout our lives, like high blood pressure.

“If we can identify people early enough, we can significantly improve their brain health and help put the brakes on dementia. The Manchester Brain Health Centre really is changing the game, and we are proud to be a partner. This model could be replicated in other regions, transforming the future for thousands of people at risk of dementia or in the early stages of memory loss.”

Professor Adam Greenstein, Consultant Geriatrician at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Clinical Scientist at University of Manchester and Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador, said: “The Manchester Brain Health Centre is a game-changing approach which brings together partners who believe that greater collaboration can help diagnose more people at an earlier stage and improve health outcomes. We are combining clinical and research expertise to identify people earlier, address risk factors such as high blood pressure, and support patients to live better for longer.

This is an innovative step towards a proactive approach to brain health, and we are creating a model which we believe could be adopted more widely. Through this pilot, we will be generating the evidence to support future service collaboration and development by clinical, research and academic teams across the country.”

Dr Ross Dunne, Consultant Later Life Psychiatrist and Dementia Research Lead at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Manchester Brain Health Centre is crucial to advancing our understanding and treatment of the diseases that cause dementia. Right now, the system is not set up for people when memory and thinking problems first appear. That is exactly when early diagnosis and treatment could have the greatest impact.

“We want the UK to be the best place in the world to get an early and accurate diagnosis. We can be a world leader in the research that will change the future of dementia. Together with our partners in Greater Manchester and Alzheimer's Society, our aim is to develop a model for brain health clinics nationwide.”

The Manchester Brain Health Centre’s pilot clinic is hosted at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility (CRF): Manchester at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

• The Manchester Brain Health Centre reflects The University of Manchester's commitment through its Challenge Accepted campaign to bring together research, healthcare and communities to address some of society's most pressing challenges, including improving health outcomes and healthy ageing.
• If you’re worried about yourself, or someone close to you, then Alzheimer’s Society’s symptom checklist can help you start a conversation with a GP. Visit alzheimers.org.uk/checklist or call their Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456.

Women with a higher Body Mass Index in early adulthood may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer after the menopause because of lasting changes in the structure of their breast tissue, according to researchers at The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

An analysis of data from more than 33,000 women found that breast density could partially explain the link between a higher body weight at age 20 and a lower chance of post-menopausal breast cancer.

The findings help explain a long-standing puzzle in breast cancer research: being overweight in middle age is known to increase breast cancer risk, while a higher body weight in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood appears to have the opposite long-term effect.

The study is published in the British Journal of Cancer today (17/09/26) and is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester.

The researchers followed 33,816 women taking part in the UK Predicting Risk of Cancer at Screening (PROCAS) programme for more than a decade and recorded 1,261 cases of post-menopausal breast cancer.

They examined women's self-reported body mass index (BMI) at age 20 and compared it with measurements of breast density taken during routine mammograms.

Breast density refers to the amount of fibrous and glandular tissue in the breast compared to fatty tissue; women with denser breasts are known to face a higher risk of breast cancer.

The team found that the women who had a higher BMI at age 20 generally had lower percentage breast density later in life and were also less likely to develop post-menopausal breast cancer.

For every five-point increase in BMI at age 20, the risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer fell by around 15 per cent. Further analysis suggested that lower breast density may account for almost 60 per cent of this effect.

The researchers believe the timing of body weight gains may be crucial because women’s breasts are still developing during adolescence and early adulthood, potentially leading to long-term changes in tissue structure.

The study also found that different measures of breast density may reflect different biological pathways linked to breast cancer risk.

One measure, which estimates the percentage of dense tissue within the breast, appeared to capture some of the lasting effects associated with higher body weight in early adulthood. Another measure based on the total volume of glandular tissue appeared to be more strongly influenced by body weight later in life.

First author Dr Benoit Jauniaux, a Surgical Trainee in the North-West Deanery said: "Researchers in previous studies have observed that women with a higher BMI in childhood or their early adulthood appear to have a lower risk of breast cancer after the menopause, but we have not fully understood why.

“This study suggests that downstream changes to breast density may explain a large part of this effect.”

Senior author Professor Andrew Renehan, Professor of Cancer Studies and Surgery at The University of Manchester and Programme Co-Lead in the Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme at the NIHR BRC: Manchester, added: “These findings do not suggest that gaining weight is protective. What they offer is further insight into how breast tissue and consequent breast cancer risk may be shaped across a woman's lifetime – and we want to understand these mechanisms further.

“Maintaining a healthy weight remains important, because excess weight in later adulthood is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer and many other serious diseases.

“But this study adds to growing evidence that exposures during early life can have lasting effects on health decades later.”

• The paper Early-adulthood body mass index, mammographic density and post-menopausal breast cancer risk: a mediation analysis is published in the British Journal of Cancer and is available here. DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-026-03593-w

Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, researchers, involving scientists from The University of Manchester and The Valongo Observatory, studied Sakurai's Object, a rare ‘born-again’ star that unexpectedly burst back to life in 1996 after reaching the final stages of its evolution.

Their findings, published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, show that the star has entered a new phase of its evolution, developing the powerful stellar wind characteristic of Wolf-Rayet stars.

The research provides new insight into the final stages of stellar evolution and helps astronomers test theories that would otherwise take thousands or millions of years to verify.

Professor Albert Zijlstra from Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester, said: "Most stars evolve so slowly that major changes take place over timescales far longer than a human lifetime. As a result, we usually have to piece together snapshots of stellar evolution by comparing different stars at different stages of their lives.

"Sakurai's Object offers something far rarer. It is one of the very few stars known to have changed dramatically within just a few decades, giving us the opportunity to watch stellar evolution unfold in real time.

“With our observations, we can test theories of how stars evolve and gain new insights into one of the shortest and least understood phases in the life of a dying star."

How a dead star burst back to life

The scientists believe the star was similar to our Sun, but had already ended nuclear burning and begun its journey towards becoming a white dwarf - the hot, dense core left behind after an ordinary star dies. It underwent a rare event known as a "very late thermal pulse", when a layer of helium deep inside the dead star suddenly reignites.

The event caused the star to rapidly expand, cool and eject large amounts of material into space, temporarily returning to an earlier stage of its life, leading astronomers to describe it as a "born-again" star.

Only two stars have ever been directly observed undergoing this type of dramatic rebirth: Sakurai's Object and V605 Aquilae.

Following its outburst, Sakurai's Object became hidden behind thick clouds of gas and dust released during the eruption, making it difficult to study directly.

To investigate its current state, the team analysed light collected by the Very Large Telescope and compared it with sophisticated computer models that simulate the atmospheres and powerful winds of Wolf-Rayet stars.

The observations revealed distinctive signatures of carbon and helium, allowing the researchers to find its temperature, chemical composition and the characteristics of its stellar wind.

Their analysis suggests the star's surface temperature is currently between around 27,000 and 36,000 degrees Kelvin, showing that it is reheating following its dramatic eruption nearly three decades ago.

A rare glimpse of stellar evolution in action

Prof Zijlstra added: "One of the key questions is how quickly Sakurai's Object should recover after its dramatic eruption.

"Our measurements show that the star is reheating more gradually than some earlier models predicted. That gives us an important way of testing which theories best describe what happens when a dying star briefly springs back to life.

"As we continue to monitor the star over the coming years, we expect to learn much more about this remarkable phase of stellar evolution."

The findings also suggest that Sakurai's Object is at an earlier stage of its evolution than V605 Aquilae, which experienced a similar event around 80 years ago.

The team will continue observing Sakurai's Object as it continues reheating and resumes its journey towards becoming a white dwarf, learning more about one of the most rapid and unusual phases of stellar evolution ever observed.

The University of Manchester has been recognised for the strength and breadth of its subject-level performance in the 2026 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

The results reflect the depth of Manchester’s impact across a wide range of disciplines. Ten subjects are ranked among the top 50 worldwide, including five in the global top 25 across each of the University’s faculties. Geography remains in the world top 10, while Dentistry and Oral Sciences is ranked 13th, Physics 16th, Metallurgical Engineering 18th and Textile Science and Engineering 25th.

Completing the University’s global top 50 subjects are Biotechnology, ranked 29th, Mechanical Engineering 40th, Sociology 46th, Library and Information Science 48th and Political Sciences 50th.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “These results are a welcome recognition of the quality and reach of academic work taking place across The University of Manchester, with top 25 subjects spanning all three faculties.

“Rankings don’t measure everything we value, but are useful tools for reflecting on where progress is being made and where further work is needed, particularly in an increasingly competitive global higher education environment. The real value lies in using that insight to drive meaningful improvements in research, teaching and innovation, helping us deliver on our ambitious strategy - Manchester 2035”

Several subjects have climbed the table in this year’s rankings. Sociology returned to the global top 50, rising from the 101–150 band to 46th. Textile Science and Engineering moved from 30th to 25th, while Biotechnology rose from 33rd to 29th. Mechanical Engineering improved from 43rd to 40th.

Other areas also recorded progress. Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Psychology all saw substantial gains in the rankings, while Civil Engineering and Communication also improved.

The longer-term picture shows sustained momentum in several disciplines. Biotechnology has moved from the 151–200 band in 2023 to 36th in 2024, 33rd in 2025 and 29th this year. Mechanical Engineering has progressed from 76–100 in 2023 to 40th in 2026. Mathematics has improved in each ranking since 2023, moving from 151–200 to 51–75.

The University is now ranked in 49 subject areas, compared with 48 in 2025 and 43 in 2023. The results span disciplines across Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences, reflecting the breadth of activity taking place across Manchester.

ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects assesses universities across 57 subjects using nine objective indicators covering faculty, research output, research quality, impact and international collaboration.

Each year, the ranking includes subjects from approximately 2,000 universities across some 100 countries and regions.

For more information, visit the ShanghaiRanking website.

The results demonstrate renewed momentum in the commercialisation of research originating from The University of Manchester (UoM), as the institution puts increasing focus on innovation as part of its ambitious 2035 Strategy.

As the University's dedicated technology transfer office, the Innovation Factory works with researchers to develop early-stage ideas, helping identify commercial potential, protect intellectual property and determine the best route to market. Its support continues through licensing and spinout creation, investment readiness and the longer-term development of companies within its portfolio.

The 11 new spinouts reflect the breadth of research and innovation taking place across the University:

• Grid Stability Ltd, building AI-driven stability assessment tools for modern power systems, reducing cost and carbon while improving stability.
• Lutèo Medical Ltd, developing new clinical eczema solutions based on microbiome science.
• SpinOr Ltd, pioneering a compact and modular superconducting quantum computer design.
• Imprinted Diagnostics Ltd, developing rapid diagnostics, with its first product focused on heart attack triage.
• ColoriQuo Ltd, developing sustainable structural colour technologies inspired by nature.
• FLAG-Me SAFE Ltd, creating digital safeguarding tools to help pharmacies better support people with sight and hearing impairments.
• Pacentrica Ltd, creating digital technologies for pain assessment and long-term pain management.
• Precica Ltd, developing technology to significantly reduce data storage requirements while keeping information searchable and accessible.
• InformiX Pharma Ltd, using advanced three-dimensional imaging to improve the development and manufacture of medicines.
• Zenithym Ltd, commercialising semiconducting polymer nanoparticles for a range of industrial and medical applications.
• C3 Biotechnologies Ltd, converting industrial waste streams into sustainable chemicals and high-value products.

Dr Catherine Headley, CEO of the University of Manchester Innovation Factory, said:

“This has been an incredible year for the Innovation Factory and the results reflect the breadth and quality of innovation emerging from across the University, the strength of our spinout portfolio, and the quality of service that we provide. We are extremely proud of the progress that we have made this year as we build the foundations to play a key role in the University’s innovation plans.”

Investment and the next generation of opportunities

Companies across the Innovation Factory portfolio secured over £56 million in external investment during 2025/26, providing crucial capital needed to develop technologies, attract talent, establish partnerships and move towards commercial scale.

Alongside supporting its established spinout portfolio, the Innovation Factory continues to develop the pipeline of opportunities that could become the University’s future spinouts and licenses.

During 2025/26, the team supported over 300 researchers from across the University’s schools and faculties at the early stages of commercialisation, helping them explore opportunities to create positive impact, develop intellectual property strategies and identify the most appropriate commercial outcomes for their research. This represents the highest level of researcher engagement with the Innovation Factory in five years, reflecting significant growth in the number of individuals accessing commercialisation support.

Professor John Holden, Vice President for Innovation and Civic Engagement said:

“Commercialisation is an important part of translating research into wider economic and societal benefit and positive impact. These results show the value of the rich innovation ecosystem that we are establishing in Manchester and the expertise within the Innovation Factory allows us to support our researchers from the earliest stages.”

A growing innovation ecosystem

The Innovation Factory’s work is increasingly enhanced by a wider innovation ecosystem across the University and Greater Manchester.

In addition to the support from the Innovation Factory, staff, students and alumni can benefit from varied UoM specialist services and programmes including Unit M, Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange and the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, alongside initiatives such as Ideas with Impact, developed by the University’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations.

To find out more about the Innovation Factory, visit www.uominnovationfactory.com [uominnovationfactory.com]

Students will have the chance to take part in exchanges and gain a broader international perspective, while academic colleagues will be able to develop shared research interests and learn from each other’s approaches.

The two universities will collaborate through workshops and conferences, alongside sharing publications, teaching practice and course design.

ASU is consistently ranked as the most innovative university in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, taking the accolade for the 11^th successive year in 2025.

Professor Angelia Wilson, Associate Vice President International at The University of Manchester said: “We are strengthening the ties between these two powerhouses of innovation through this partnership, which will create incredible opportunities for colleagues and students on both sides of the Atlantic. The MoU sets a framework to build on our respective strengths and collaborate effectively over the years to come.”

Professor Fiona Devine, Vice President and Dean for the Faculty of Humanities at The University of Manchester added: “We are delighted to develop further opportunities to collaborate between the two institutions and build on our mutual research interests in innovation and policy across Humanities.”

Shannon Portillo, director of the School of Public Affairs and Coor Presidential Chair at Arizona State University said: “This MoU builds on the strong collaborations between faculty and research centers at Manchester’s Faculty of Humanities and ASU’s School of Public Affairs. We look forward to more connections between our faculty and students.” The school is based in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University.

The University of Manchester is globally recognised for its research, teaching and commitment to social responsibility. It is an international university, with more than 46,000 students, 12,800 colleagues and 585,000 alumni from 190 countries.

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