Digital & Tech

The availability of digital talent generated by the two universities on the Oxford Road Corridor is a major factor in the city region’s success in attracting inward investment and growing new digital firms.

“The vision for what’s being created at Circle Square and ID Manchester is game-changing for the for city- and at Roku we’re really excited to be part of it. 

Being at Circle Square places us beside leading academic institutions and the R&D facilities they provide, as well as placing us right at the heart of Manchester’s diverse, digital talent base which is essential for us both as we establish Roku in Manchester and in how we continue to grow our business and lead our industry.” 


Alastair McGeoch, Director of Software Engineering, Roku 

Digital is a fast-growing strength of the Oxford Road Corridor. Digital Futures at the University of Manchester brings together more than 1,700 academics who are pioneering research into areas such as fundamental data science and AI, digital trust and security, digital health, and fin-tech and legal-tech, working with industrial partners including IBM, ARM, and GCHQ. Two programmes have been developed – the AI Foundry and Cyber Foundry – that support the growth and development of companies working in digital through access to the asset base at the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and other regional universities.

The availability of digital talent generated by the two universities on the Oxford Road Corridor is a major factor in the city region’s success in attracting inward investment and growing new digital firms. This offer has recently been enhanced through the Local Growth Fund supported School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University, which is now a leading provider of courses in gaming, one of the highest growth sectors in the world. 

Developing stronger translational mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of novel productivity-enhancing AI and digital technologies, alongside digital skills development, is a key priority for the Oxford Road Corridor partnership. 

Growth in digital is fuelling commercial investment from firms who want to be located in the Oxford Road Corridor ecosystem. Manchester Science Partnerships has invested in 70,000 sq. ft hub for digital firms (the Bright Building), alongside Manchester Technology Centre and the completion of Circle Square, a new mixed-use development on the former BBC North site, this has created a digital cluster that includes Wakelet, EPIC Games, Hilti, Block Rocket, ANS, NorthCoders, Roku, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, The Start Up Factory, The Cyber Resilience Centre and Manchester Digital. 

The Oxford Road Corridor is home to a concentration of world-class cultural research assets, including the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Museum, the Whitworth and HOME. The diverse cultural ecology on the Corridor creates an environment which helps drive the area’s knowledge and innovation strengths. It acts as a conduit to exchange ideas and brings a diversity of thought that drives productivity, jobs growth and wider societal benefits.

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