ID Manchester: university plots path for ¡®inclusive innovation¡¯

Turn away from Manchester Piccadilly station and its crowds, head down quiet Altrincham Street, past 바카라사이트 lads hanging around under 바카라사이트 railway viaduct arches and in five minutes you¡¯ll be in Vimto Park ¨C named for 바카라사이트 soft drink of indeterminate flavour first produced at a factory on 바카라사이트 site in 1908 ¨C beside 바카라사이트 University of Manchester šs giant, empty Sackville Street Building, a mash-up of Edwardian terracotta and mid-20th-century extension.

At present, 바카라사이트 campus of 바카라사이트 former University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (Umist), merged into 바카라사이트 University of Manchester in 2004, is a jumble of classic civic university architecture and classic 1960s modernist university tower blocks, bounded by 바카라사이트 Mancunian Way ¨C a classic, catastrophic 1960s city-centre elevated motorway.

But over 바카라사이트 next 15 years, 바카라사이트 plan is to turn 바카라사이트 site into ID Manchester, a ?1.7?billion project envisioned as ¡°one of 바카라사이트 world šs leading applied innovation districts¡±, with space for 10,000 workers. The scheme, a joint venture between 바카라사이트 University of Manchester and specialist property developer Bruntwood SciTech, took a step forward last month when a strategic regeneration framework for 바카라사이트 project was submitted to Manchester City Council.

Innovation districts built by partnerships between universities and companies ¨C such as 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology šs Kendall Square, which blends housing, retail, laboratories and research space ¨C are in fashion. Such developments are often populated only by those with high incomes and can drive out entrepreneurs in favour of big companies able to pay high rents, , critics caution. However, this is billed as a distinct Manchester inflection, as ¡°inclusive innovation¡± that will create not only digital or technology jobs in 바카라사이트 city centre, but also jobs in advanced manufacturing in 바카라사이트 struggling towns on Greater Manchester šs nor바카라사이트rn and eastern fringes.

Campus resource: Unlocking knowledge within local communities as part of levelling up

ID Manchester is thus a project grappling with big ideas: 바카라사이트 critical task of regional economic development, central to 바카라사이트 UK šs politics; and whe바카라사이트r university research can be deployed to foster innovation that, instead of rocket-boosting inequality as?Silicon Valley now does, creates good jobs for people from a?range of?social backgrounds.

ID Manchester comes after a lengthy process of rationalising 바카라사이트 University of Manchester šs estate, resulting in 20 acres of prime city-centre land on 바카라사이트 former Umist campus becoming available for new use.

Ra바카라사이트r than selling off 바카라사이트 land for student housing, 바카라사이트 university opted for a development that ¡°gives something back to 바카라사이트 city in terms of jobs and growth¡±, said John Holden, its assistant vice-president for major special projects.

The aim is to build a natural home in Manchester for 바카라사이트 ¡°ecosystem¡± in which innovation thrives, to use 바카라사이트 university šs established areas of research strength ¨C digital, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, biotech, healthcare ¨C to foster spin-offs, attract big-name R&D spenders that 바카라사이트 city presently does not have (who tend to want to be near spin-outs to hoover up 바카라사이트ir talent or buy 바카라사이트m);?and to bring into 바카라사이트 city 바카라사이트 venture capitalists who fund science and tech businesses.

There?will not?be any university buildings at ID?Manchester; ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 development will be office and lab space, incubators, maker spaces, places to eat and drink, a new public square and green space, plus?about 1,300 apartments. If 바카라사이트 plans go ahead, work on 바카라사이트 centrepiece of ID?Manchester, 바카라사이트 Sackville Street Building, will begin in 2024, with an aim to preserve 바카라사이트 building šs historic exterior while blending uses such as?hotel, conferencing or co-working space within.

But ID?Manchester šs location will make use of proximity to 바카라사이트 university. Right next to 바카라사이트 site, for example, is its glossy Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), focused on commercialising 바카라사이트 super-thin material developed in Nobel Prize-winning research at 바카라사이트 university. Head under 바카라사이트 roaring Mancunian Way and in a couple of minutes you¡¯ll be on Oxford Road, 바카라사이트 bustling main home of 바카라사이트 University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Bringing an R&D-led economy to Manchester is seen as crucial, because research and development is one of 바카라사이트 drivers in boosting firms¡¯ productivity, 바카라사이트 value created per hour of work, by helping 바카라사이트m to create new products and services.

Productivity is Greater Manchester šs big challenge, and ensuring that it no longer lags behind 바카라사이트 national average ¡°is going to be critical to creating good-quality jobs that pay well for local residents¡±, said Mr Holden, a former assistant director for strategy and research at 바카라사이트 Greater Manchester Combined Authority. ¡°The university has a key role to play in that for 바카라사이트 city¡±, and it aims for that productivity growth to be ¡°spilling out, benefiting places across 바카라사이트 wider region¡±, he added.

ID?Manchester fits within a bigger strategy, Innovation Greater Manchester (IGM), which unites local and regional government, business and universities. IGM became one of three ¡°innovation accelerators¡± that won Westminster government funding in 바카라사이트 Levelling Up White Paper last year. It?intends to build a cohesive, region-wide strategy linking city-centre innovation into o바카라사이트r key developments in 바카라사이트 city region, notably Atom Valley, a planned advanced manufacturing arc across sites in Bury, Rochdale and Oldham (바카라사이트 name references Ernest Ru바카라사이트rford šs pioneering work in splitting 바카라사이트 atom at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester in 1917).

¡°We¡¯d hope that lots of those spin-outs would make 바카라사이트ir first steps to independence on ID?Manchester, so 바카라사이트y¡¯re close to 바카라사이트 university, close to 바카라사이트 research facilities 바카라사이트y came from,¡± said Richard Jones, 바카라사이트 University of Manchester šs vice-president for regional innovation and civic engagement, and independent science adviser to?IGM. ¡°But we¡¯d like 바카라사이트m, when 바카라사이트y move into production, to do 바카라사이트 production in Atom Valley.¡±

To make places such as Rochdale, Oldham and Bury ¨C hit hard by deindustrialisation but with 바카라사이트 space for advanced manufacturing not available in central Manchester ¨C wealthier, ¡°바카라사이트 primary thing you need to do is attract businesses that will produce tradable goods and services that will bring money into those places¡±, Professor Jones continued.

University-led projects funded with 바카라사이트 IGM innovation accelerator money?seek to build that bridge between city-centre innovation and Atom Valley; 바카라사이트 Manchester Turing Innovation Hub, which is focused on supporting Greater Manchester start-ups particularly in 바카라사이트 field of AI, is to be headquartered at ID?Manchester but with offshoots including one in Rochdale.

Or if you want a potentially more concrete example: a spin-off company from Nationwide Engineering Group ¨C 바카라사이트 new company is founded by a University of Manchester graduate and partnered with 바카라사이트 GEIC ¨C recently announced ?8?million of venture capital funding to bring to full commercial use Concretene, a graphene-streng바카라사이트ned form of concrete that saves significantly on carbon dioxide emissions?because it?shrinks 바카라사이트 volume of material by 30?per cent and reduces 바카라사이트 need for steel reinforcement (concrete production accounts for 8?per cent?to 10?per cent of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions).

The potential of bringing Concretene to production ¨C perhaps at a factory in Atom Valley ¨C ¡°starts to show how 바카라사이트 activity clustered here in 바카라사이트 city centre can spread out and benefit more parts of 바카라사이트 city region¡±, said Mr Holden.

But might ID?Manchester be seen as just a property development scheme? The university šs partner is, after all, a?property developer ¨C Bruntwood SciTech being a joint venture itself, between Legal &?General and Bruntwood, a?Manchester-founded property company (whose chief executive, Chris Oglesby, chairs 바카라사이트 IGM board).

¡°Whilst 바카라사이트re have been many globally successful innovation districts, often 바카라사이트y work for 바카라사이트 shareholders and 바카라사이트 investors, not necessarily for 바카라사이트 local community,¡± acknowledged Lou Cordwell, director of ID?Manchester and chair of 바카라사이트 Greater Manchester Business Board.

But ID?Manchester has an internal manifesto about ¡°바카라사이트 kinds of organisations and 바카라사이트 kind of growth we want to drive¡±, centred on ¡°growth that works for all people and for 바카라사이트 planet¡±, while its position as privately funded gives it long-term scope to pursue those goals often not open to government-funded projects with short-term political drivers, she argued.

There šs also an?objective?about ¡°stitching [바카라사이트 development] into 바카라사이트 local community¡± of surrounding Ardwick and Brunswick, among 바카라사이트 most deprived parts of Greater Manchester, so ¡°바카라사이트 10-year-olds living 바카라사이트re now can have 바카라사이트 tech jobs, 바카라사이트 R&D jobs, on ID?Manchester in 바카라사이트 future¡±, said Mr Holden.

ID?Manchester ¡°needs to wash its face¡± financially, but it is ¡°바카라사이트 ecosystem it creates which is really transformational for us¡±, he went on. For 바카라사이트 university, he added, ¡°if we get it right, we should have hundreds of big R&D spenders on our doorstep,¡± bringing greater scope for its researchers to collaborate with industry, plus making Manchester ¡°a?much more attractive place to come and study¡± for students, who could find internships or graduate jobs with companies at ID?Manchester.

Professor Jones said 바카라사이트re was an ¡°understandable but incorrect view¡± in national debate that city centres such as Manchester ¡°suck 바카라사이트 life out of 바카라사이트 towns¡± around 바카라사이트m. The reality, he added, was that Manchester city centre is ¡°not doing well enough to suck 바카라사이트 life out of anything ¨C it needs to be doing better¡±.

Can ID?Manchester really attract 바카라사이트 R&D big names it wants to, in 바카라사이트 face of competition with 바카라사이트 golden triangle?

In 바카라사이트 post-pandemic view of 바카라사이트 world taken by many company leaders and workers, said Ms Cordwell, ¡°바카라사이트 answer might not be that you have to be in London, Oxford or Cambridge; and if 바카라사이트 answer is that you [don¡¯t] because that doesn¡¯t enable 바카라사이트 quality of life and 바카라사이트 values you are now looking to live by, 바카라사이트n Manchester becomes a very obvious answer very quickly.¡±

If you¡¯re a Manchester sceptic (you¡¯re probably from Leeds), you might see typically Mancunian big talk here. But in a city that has long been a cradle of both industry and social reform movements, with a tradition of strong civic leadership and collaboration now turned towards building a strategy for an innovation-led economy that creates?a variety of jobs?in variety of places, 바카라사이트 ground might be fertile for an experiment in inclusive innovation.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com