Greater Manchester awarded additional £20 million to boost science and technology sector

Greater Manchester is one of three UK city-regions to have been awarded an additional £20 million in funding for local leaders to invest into its science and technology sectors.

Funding for the city-region adds to the £30 million already announced in the government’s Spending Review in June.

Previous support has been leveraged to drive the city-region’s growth into a global AI hub, and been used to connect start-ups and SMEs with technical expertise turn early-stage ideas into viable products.

The latest commitment from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) for Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, and the Glasgow City Region was announced by the Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, ahead of the Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham, which will take place on Tuesday 21st October. The summit will bring together business leaders, major investors, policymakers, regulators, regional mayors and other local leaders to showcase the breadth and depth of opportunities to invest, expand and create jobs right across our nations and regions.

To further support innovative growth in the regions, the government is also announcing the two first y investments to be delivered through round one of the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), which is set to unlock over £30 million in joint public-private investment.

Expressions of interest are also open to local and regional partnerships to bid for government funding from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.