Mayor of Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough, , joined partners in Manchester last week as
part of the next phase of the Cambridge x Manchester Innovation
Partnership, a city-to-city collaboration fostering innovation
and growth.
Established last
year between the Universities of Cambridge
and
Manchester, the two-day programme
and first formal
board meeting included Mayor of
Greater Manchester Andy and leaders
from businesses including Shaun Grady, UK
Chair of AstraZeneca, local authorities and
innovation organisations across the two
cities.
Further momentum is
gathering behind the partnership's shared ambition to turn
world-leading research and innovation into jobs, new investment
and economic growth which delivers real benefits for
local people.
Both cities'
economies bring complementary
strengths. Cambridge is a global centre
for leading research and discovery,
with global investment
pull, and Manchester offers scale,
space, talent and a strong track
record innovation into commercial success.
By working together, both regions aim
to be greater than the sum of their parts and deliver benefits
well beyond their own boundaries, including supporting the
Government's mission to grow the national
economy.
For Cambridgeshire and Peterborough,
the partnership directly supports the ambitions set out in the
Local Growth Plan, which focuses on growing the
economy, upgrading transport and other
key infrastructure and ensuring that
growth benefits local people and communities. The plan
sets out a mayoral ambition to triple the size of the local
economy by 2050.
Building strong cross-regional
partnerships is part of that ambition, helping to attract
investment, strengthen innovation ecosystems and make the case
for infrastructure and skills
investment.
The Mayor took part in the
first formal meeting of the partnership, alongside Mayor
Burnham, university leaders from Cambridge and Manchester, and
senior figures from business and innovation. Discussions focused
on shared priorities including life sciences, advanced materials,
creative industries and digital innovation, as well as
the importance of growth which makes a difference to
people's lives.
The two-day programme also showcased
how collaboration can work in practice, including
knowledge-sharing on transport, with Manchester's experience of
the Metrolink system and Cambridge's ongoing work to explore mass
transit options to support future growth. Light rail for
Cambridge is one of Paul Bristow's manifesto
pledges.
Other sessions including the creative
and cultural innovation economy and how they can be
better embedded in the science and tech
sectors.
said: “The partnership
is hugely ambitious for our respective regions and has everything
to gain from working together in this
way.
“Building partnerships like this
which seek to drive up innovation and investment will
be crucial in unlocking the potential of our economy set out in
the Local Growth Plan.
“This is about regions backing each
other, sharing what works and ensuring growth brings
benefits to all our
communities.”
Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Cambridge, said last
week: “The Cambridge x
Manchester partnership brings together two great universities and
cities with complementary strengths and the will to work
together. We are already showing how connected ecosystems
can drive innovation, investment and inclusive growth.
This week's meetings underline the momentum behind our shared
ambition and the firm foundations being laid for the next phase
of work.”
Kathryn Chapman, Executive
Director, Innovate Cambridge,
said: "Cambridge
and Manchester have deep histories of innovation, with
complementary strengths that span the full journey from discovery
to scale. By combining Cambridge's track record in
transformational early-stage companies and attraction of capital
with Manchester's strength in development, application and
deployment across markets, this partnership will help shape the
UK's future economic growth"
The Cambridge x Manchester Partnership
will continue to develop through further joint activity, helping
position both regions at the heart of the UK's future economic
growth.
Notes to editors:
1. Launched in August 2025, The
Cambridge x Manchester Innovation Partnership is the first
cross-UK innovation partnership. The collaboration is driven by a
dedicated team within Innovate Cambridge and Unit M, running a
programme of specially designed activities and
initiatives.
The partnership is designed to expand
and strengthen innovation ecosystems in both cities, drive
investment, and define a new model of collaboration for the UK.
Activities will focus maximising the impact of complementary
innovation assets in both Cambridge and Manchester across a
breadth of sectors, including AI, life sciences, and advanced
materials. Read more on the partnership's website
: The
Cambridge × Manchester Innovation Partnership
2. Read more about the Combined
Authority's Local Growth Plan: https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/C221033-CPCA-Local-Growth-Plan-Stage-7_v21_Acc.pdf
