
The Enterprise Zone plays a key role in attracting life sciences, health innovation, med tech, ICT, and advanced materials sectors to Manchester.
Enterprise Zone sites, location and partnership
The Enterprise Zone covers two neighbouring sites: Manchester Science Park’s central campus, owned by Manchester Science Partnerships, and the city’s main hospital site, owned by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). At the point of designation the science park provided a significant quantum of underdeveloped land totalling 9.6 hectares, and at the hospital site an initial one hectare of development land within a wider 19-hectare footprint across the site as a whole.
Manchester Science Park was constructed in the 1970-80s, and over recent years has been transformed into an innovation community of some of the region’s most disruptive, fast-growing science and tech businesses. The hospital site has also benefited from significant investment, and has become a major centre for translational research, undertaken in collaboration with industry and university partners. The Citylabs campus developments include existing Grade II listed buildings and cleared development land. The Enterprise Zone is at the heart of one of the largest clinical academic campuses in Europe.
The Enterprise Zone forms part of the wider Oxford Road Corridor innovation district covering one square mile south of the city centre. Over the last 15-years public and private sector innovation anchors in the area have worked in partnership with regional and national government to build on the Oxford Road Corridor’s R&D strengths, with a shared vision to create an innovation ecosystem that can match and exceed leading innovation districts in Europe and the US.
The Enterprise Zone plays a key role in attracting life sciences, health innovation, med tech, ICT, and advanced materials sectors to Manchester.
Since Enterprise Zone status was secured, the area has reported strong development levels, driven by high levels of occupier demand that has allowed an impressive portfolio of premises to be delivered.
The Enterprise Zone supports a range of benefits for business, its success and achievements will continue to drive advantages in coming years.