The Growth Company joins Greater Manchester’s universities and industry partners to power national progress
- Thursday, April 2, 2026
- Posted By The Growth Company
The Growth Company joined Manchester Metropolitan University, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the University of Manchester and the University of Salford last week (25 March) for the flagship Made in Greater Manchester event, highlighting how collaboration across the region is accelerating delivery of the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
Hosted by Manchester Met, the event brought together leaders from industry, government, academia and civic organisations to demonstrate the city-region’s growing national influence as a hub of innovation, skills development and economic growth.
Showcasing Greater Manchester’s collective strength
Recent national data shows that Greater Manchester is the UK’s fastest-growing city region, with productivity growth outpacing national averages for more than a decade.
The city region has long been recognised as a testbed for the future UK economy, bringing together universities, business and civic partners to tackle national challenges at a regional scale.
The Growth Company plays a central role in supporting thousands of businesses and residents across Greater Manchester each year, delivering high‑quality business support that helps organisations innovate, build skills and access new opportunities, and attracting inward investment to help ensure economic growth is both competitive and inclusive.
Focus on five frontier sectors
The event explored Greater Manchester’s leadership across five 'frontier' sectors critical to the UK’s long-term growth:
- Advanced materials and manufacturing
- Creative industries
- Digital, cyber and AI
- Health innovation and life sciences
- Low carbon and net zero
These areas are aligned to five of the sectors identified as having the greatest potential for growth in the Modern Industrial Strategy.
Reinforcing the power of collaboration
Speakers at the event outlined how universities, industry and civic partners are aligning investment, skills pipelines, research strengths and business support to accelerate the industrial strategy in real time.
By uniting academic expertise, cutting-edge R&D facilities, industry ambitions and civic leadership, Greater Manchester is building the environment required for long-term national competitiveness.
Mark Hughes, Group Chief Executive of the Growth Company, said: "Greater Manchester has always been a place that makes things happen. From world‑changing breakthroughs to the everyday creativity that shapes our culture and industries. What makes that possible is the collaboration between industry, the public sector, and our world‑class educational institutions.
"With our sector strengths, our collaborative ecosystem and the momentum of the national Industrial Strategy, Greater Manchester is uniquely placed to lead the next wave of UK growth. our challenge — and our opportunity — is to keep building the conditions where the next world-class breakthrough can happen."
Professor Steve Rothberg, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Manchester Met, said: "With universities acting as powerful anchor institutions for growth, there has never been a more important time to connect, collaborate and drive collective impact.
"Here in Greater Manchester, we have a long tradition of being at the forefront of innovation. This event was a fantastic opportunity for organisations across the city-region to come together and re‑emphasise this commitment while exploring future ways to deliver for the UK."
For information on how Greater Manchester is shaping the future of industry across the five frontier sectors, visit Sector Expertise - Invest in Manchester