Fareha Lasker
UKIMEA Press Office,London
Manchester’s economic and social success has been built on innovation, from the birth of the Co-operative movement to the splitting of the atom. Innovation is the heart of the ‘Trailblazer devolution’ deal agreed this year between the UK Government and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, creating a Strategic Innovation Partnership.
With a strong innovation culture and a legacy of sixty-five years in Manchester, Arup is proud to be involved in some of the new innovation initiatives in Manchester.
Arup has long recognised the potential for Innovation Districts to drive the growth of cities, such as in our 2018 report “UK Innovation Districts and Knowledge Quarters: Driving More Productive Growth”, prepared in collaboration with the UK Innovation Districts Group.
In July, a milestone was reached for ID Manchester – a £1.7bn city centre innovation district set to transform The University of Manchester’s (the University) North Campus. The launch of the draft Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) and formal public consultation period is breathing new life into a site steeped in a history of innovative scientific advancements. ID Manchester is a joint venture between the University and Bruntwood SciTech, and the new district’s site has been made available due to the transition of the University’s engineering and material science departments into the new Manchester Engineering Campus Development, a project engineered by Arup, with a design team that included many of the University’s graduates.
The ID Manchester SRF details the scale, ambition and opportunities that the innovation district will bring to the city and its local residents, businesses and stakeholders including the creation of over 10,000 new jobs within a diverse and inclusive community of innovators.
