Greater Manchester and Cambridge strengthen innovation ties

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has visited Cambridge to agree a new partnership to strengthen links between the cities’ innovation ecosystems.

Andy Burnham was joined by President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, Duncan Ivision; the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson; and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Deborah Prentice, as well as academic, business and civil leaders from both places, with the visit building on a formal relationship established last year by the University of Manchester, the University of Cambridge, and Innovate Cambridge.

Through a wider partnership between the two cities, the first of its kind in the UK, stronger relationships will be built between research institutions in Cambridge and Greater Manchester, helping to accelerate the growth of start-up and scale-up businesses and drive greater investment. Work will also help support the shared goals of the two cities to create more inclusive economies through innovation-led growth.

The visit included tours of the Cambridge West Innovation District, Cambridge Graphene Centre, and AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre (DISC); the pharmaceuticals giant will, through the new partnership, expand its business mentoring programme, currently only active in Cambridge, to early-stage life sciences businesses in Manchester. The two mayors also attended the opening of a new innovation hub in Cambridge, The Glasshouse.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“Greater Manchester and Cambridge are two world-renowned centres of innovation. This partnership is breaking new ground, creating strong new ties between the North of England and the Golden Triangle to drive regional and national economic growth.

“Our two places have distinct identities and unique strengths, but we also have a lot in common – world-leading universities and dynamic, fast-growing economies. We also share an ambition for growth that benefits everyone, with more people and businesses able to access the opportunities created by innovation. By working together, we can be greater than the sum of our parts.”

Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said:

“It was fantastic to welcome Mayor Burnham back to our region. This visit highlights our pioneering partnership with Greater Manchester, where our ambitions for innovation-led growth and our strengths in academia and R&D, offer great opportunities for collaboration, exemplified by the opening of The Glasshouse.”

Chair of Greater Manchester Business Board and Professor of Innovation at the University of Manchester, Lou Cordwell, said:

“This partnership is a groundbreaking initiative – bringing together two of the UK’s leading innovation cities to help us achieve more. Whether it’s researchers, entrepreneurs, established businesses or investors, we want to support a flow of innovation between our two places. Hearing from the Mayors, local leaders, businesses and universities today, the scale of the opportunity and level of ambition was clear and we’re excited to take the partnership further.”

Shaun Grady, Chairman of AstraZeneca UK, said:

“We were delighted to host this visit at The Discovery Centre (DISC), which sits at the heart of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus – Europe’s largest life sciences cluster. We know innovation doesn’t happen in isolation, and by forming partnerships and supporting growth, we can benefit the whole life sciences ecosystem. That is why we are proud to extend AstraZeneca’s Exchange Mentoring programme for entrepreneurs and start-ups to Greater Manchester, which will further cement the partnership between these two great cities of innovation.”