Cambridge & Manchester put new trade train on track with £6m brainpower alliance
The combined brain power is regarded as a potential game-changer for the global trade clout of the nation.
The Cambridge x Manchester Innovation Partnership – the first trans-UK innovation collaboration of its kind – will receive £4.8 million of funding from Research England over three years. With further investment from the two universities, the total funding for the partnership will be £6m.
The initiative aims to strengthen research networks, accelerate scale-up growth, drive private sector investment into R & D and attract new foreign direct investment.
Led by the universities of Cambridge and Manchester, ‘CBG×MCR’ is supported by two mayoral combined authorities, city councils, key businesses (such as AstraZeneca, Arm, Roku and Microsoft), venture capitalists (Northern Gritstone and Cambridge Innovation Capital), and angel investors (Cambridge Angels and Manchester Angels).
As well as strengthening relations within and between the two cities, the partnership – fronted by Innovate Cambridge and Unit M – will pilot new approaches for delivering inclusive growth, providing insights to other cities, the wider higher education sector community, and local and national governments in the UK and internationally.
In the UK, collaboration has traditionally been focused on geographically proximate areas, such as Manchester-Liverpool, or Edinburgh-Glasgow. This new model of hyper-connected, place-to-place partnering – similar to those developed in the US’ Northeast Corridor, Coastal California, and China’s Greater Bay Area – combines complementary innovation capabilities to create globally competitive connected ecosystems.
Amplifying what each city can achieve independently, the model aims to drive national economic growth, responding directly to the UK government’s national industrial strategy.
Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: “This pioneering initiative brings together the combined strengths of Cambridge and Manchester to create something that is truly groundbreaking. By connecting our cities, we’re helping to build a more collaborative and dynamic environment in which innovative research can connect with industry, venture capital, and entrepreneurs, to drive economic growth and deliver real benefits for people and places across the UK.”
Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Manchester, commented: "Our partnership with Cambridge marks a new model of collaboration between UK universities. It brings together the distinctive strengths of each of our universities and cities, connecting two of the great innovation ecosystems to scale up what we can achieve. This new approach to innovation accelerates the time between discovery and impact, getting ideas into the real economy and our communities even more quickly to drive inclusive growth.”
And Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England, added: “This investment underscores our commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration across England. By connecting the vibrant ecosystems of Cambridge and Manchester, we aim to drive significant economic growth and create a model for place-based innovation that can be replicated nationwide.”
