Ben Williams

July News Roundup

July welcomed another sunny graduation season, with thousands of students from The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University celebrating their achievements with family and friends.

Congratulations to every one of them.

Alongside the next generation of talent embarking on their careers, universities are deepening ties with industry and government, research is generating new businesses and investment, and organisations across the Corridor are laying the foundations for the future through skills, regeneration and cultural leadership.

Read on for the latest stories from across the Oxford Road Corridor.

University of Manchester Hosts Inaugural Research Innovation Forum to Accelerate Drug Discovery

The University of Manchester has hosted its inaugural Research Innovation Forum, bringing together leading academics with senior scouting teams from pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca, GSK and Sanofi. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and clinical application by connecting “investment-ready” research projects with global industry partners, strengthening Greater Manchester’s position in life sciences and health innovation.

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Jennifer Cleary Appointed Director of Culture and Creative Industries

Jennifer Cleary has been named Manchester’s new Director of Culture and Creative Industries, succeeding Dave Moutrey OBE, who served two terms on the Oxford Road Corridor board between 2009-2014 and 2017-2022 . With more than 20 years’ experience including senior roles at Arts Council England and Manchester International Festival, Jen will lead delivery of the city’s ten-year cultural strategy, Always Everywhere: Manchester’s Cultural Ambition 2024–2034.

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University of Manchester Named Founding Member of New Defence Universities Alliance

The University of Manchester has been chosen as a founding member of the new Defence Universities Alliance, a UK-wide partnership launched at the University by Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP. The alliance brings together 35 universities to strengthen collaboration with the Ministry of Defence on research, innovation and skills development across areas including AI, cyber security, robotics and aerospace engineering.

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The Sunday Times Visits Oxford Road Corridor: ‘Has Andy Burnham’s Manchester Got the Recipe for Start-Up Success?’

The Sunday Times visited Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor this week, speaking to board members Chris Oglesby and Duncan Ivison about the city’s thriving start-up ecosystem. Highlighting the work at Sister and Manchester Science Park, the piece explores how decades of stable leadership, world-class universities and public-private collaboration have driven the region’s economic outperformance, as Andy Burnham begins his premiership.

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University of Manchester Launches Inaugural Innovation Festival

The University of Manchester has launched its first Innovation Festival, taking place from 5–9 October 2026, bringing together researchers, students, entrepreneurs, industry partners and investors to celebrate and showcase the people and ideas shaping the future. The week-long programme features hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, talks and networking opportunities, reflecting the University’s commitment to turning world-leading research into real-world impact.

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Manchester Met & Alliance Manchester Business School co-host Major International Business Conference Shaping Global Policy

Manchester Metropolitan University and Alliance Manchester Business School hosted the Academy of International Business World Congress for the first time in its 65-year history. The event brought together researchers, senior policymakers and industry leaders to address pressing global challenges, including the launch of the UN Trade and Development’s World Investment Report, reinforcing Manchester Met’s role in shaping international business policy.

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Greater Manchester Partners Launch Blueprint for Skills Development

Greater Manchester’s further and higher education institutions, combined authority and chamber of commerce have launched a blueprint for skills development, setting out a shared approach to meeting the city region’s future workforce needs. The report, co-led by Manchester Metropolitan University and supported by The University of Manchester, outlines four priorities including an integrated data system, coordinated careers pathways and flexible modular routes across institutions.

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Institute for Children’s Futures and Youth Leads UK Partnership to Empower Young People

Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute for Children’s Futures has formed a new partnership with Youth Leads UK, creating opportunities for children and young people to influence policies, services and systems that affect their lives. The collaboration brings together ICF’s research expertise with the youth-led charity’s experience in developing young leaders, including joint research, a new Children and Young People’s Panel and co-hosting the Youth in Power Conference in 2027.

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University of Manchester to Lead BioFAIR’s First National ‘Methods Commons’

The University of Manchester has been appointed to lead the Methods Commons, the first spoke of the £34 million BioFAIR programme, a major new national infrastructure for UK life sciences. Led by Professor Carole Goble, the consortium will develop services to improve the reproducibility and reuse of computational workflows across bioscience, investing up to £4 million over an initial two-year period.

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Indian Fragrance Giant Keva Picks Base for New R&D Centre

Leading Indian fragrance and flavour company Keva has officially opened its new Creative Development Centre at Base, part of Manchester Science Park, creating thirty new high-skilled roles. The move strengthens Greater Manchester’s innovation-led economy and growing ties with India.

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Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven Opens at Whitworth

The Whitworth has opened Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven, bringing together new work by eight artists from Korea and India with historic textiles from its collection. The exhibition, co-organised with the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025, explores connections between Manchester’s industrial past and living craft traditions. It is one of several major exhibitions at the gallery this year, cementing 2026 as an exceptional year for the Whitworth.

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Innovation Factory Adds Four New University of Manchester Spinouts to Growing Portfolio

The University of Manchester Innovation Factory has launched four new spinout companies into its portfolio: InformiX Pharma, C3 Biotechnologies, Precica and FLAG-Me SAFE. The companies reflect the breadth of University innovation, from advanced imaging technology and sustainable manufacturing to data management and digital safeguarding. They join Grid Stability, Lutèo Medical and SpinOr as spinouts created during the current financial year.

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Winners of 2026 Ideas with Impact Awards Announced: Donor-Funded Entrepreneurs Driving Innovation

Ten finalists gathered in Whitworth Hall at The University of Manchester to pitch their early-stage ventures for a share of £350,000 in donor-funded prize money, as part of the Challenge Accepted campaign. This year’s awards, which included a new gift from CMSPI to establish The CMSPI Future Technologies Prize, support University staff, students and alumni developing solutions across disciplines from fusion energy to blood cancer treatment and antimicrobial resistance.

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Coller AI Competition Launches with £100k Investment for Responsible AI Ventures

The Jeremy Coller Foundation has launched the Coller AI Competition, offering a £100,000 equity investment to University of Manchester students, staff and alumni advancing responsible artificial intelligence. The competition seeks ventures addressing AI fairness, sustainability, privacy and social good, with applications open until 1 September. Finalists will pitch on 9 October for the chance to scale their impact-driven AI business.

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Manchester Met Acting Student Awarded Prestigious Laurence Olivier Bursary

Bonnie Lowden, a second-year BA (Hons) Acting student at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Manchester School of Theatre, has been awarded the Laurence Olivier Bursary 2026. The bursary, awarded annually by the Society of London Theatre and The Theatre Development Trust, recognises her talent as a promising emerging actor following a competitive audition process in London.

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Glenbrook Launches Consultation on 300-Home Birley Fields Vision in Hulme

Developer Glenbrook has launched a public consultation on plans for a 2.75-acre site off Greenheys Lane West in Hulme, aiming to deliver around 300 affordable homes. The scheme, which is in its early stages, would provide one-, two- and three-bed apartments, maisonettes and townhouses for social rent, discounted rent and shared ownership. A planning application is expected before the end of the year.

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RNCM Welcomes Four Distinguished Visiting Researchers

The Royal Northern College of Music has welcomed four visiting researchers whose work spans music history, performance, education, health and creative practice. Professor Jeanice Brooks, Dr Olha Myronenko-Mikheishyna, violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved and Dr Stephen Tatlow join to advance collaborative research projects, further consolidating the RNCM’s dynamic research culture and international partnerships.

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Manchester Psych Fest Sells Out Weeks Ahead

Manchester Psych Fest has sold out weeks ahead of its 5 September date, with the event having grown from just 250 attendees to more than 6,000 since its beginnings at Night & Day Café. The festival has been supported by the Oxford Road Corridor and partners from across the area, becoming a key moment for grassroots music in the city, taking over venues big and small with a lineup topped by The Beta Band, Stereolab and Ty Segall.

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Manchester Met and Manchester Basketball Forge New Partnership to Drive Innovation and Talent Development

Manchester Metropolitan University has announced a strategic partnership with Manchester Basketball to advance research, education and development of the sport. The collaboration will bring together expertise from the University’s Institute of Sport to support student placements, internships and research activities, building on an established relationship with the club’s men’s and women’s teams training at Platt Lane Sports Complex.

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Manchester Central Provides £2.6bn Economic Boost in First 40 Years

Manchester Central has boosted the local economy by an estimated £2.6bn across its four-decade history, hosting more than 4,100 events and welcoming approximately 12 million visitors. For every £1 spent at the venue, a further £6 is spent in the city’s culinary, accommodation and tourism sectors, with the venue now injecting about £150m annually into Greater Manchester’s cultural ecosystem.

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Tech Services Firm OryxAlign Backed in Second Deal from Palatine’s £254m Buyout Fund

OryxAlign, a specialist provider of mission-critical network design and managed IT services based in Manchester’s Tootle Building on Oxford Street, has entered a strategic partnership with Palatine Private Equity to accelerate its growth. The investment represents the second deal from Palatine’s £254m Buyout Fund V and will support both organic expansion and targeted M&A, with both firms sharing B Corp certification status.

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Manchester Achieves Hepatitis C Micro-Elimination in Drug Treatment Services

Manchester has achieved hepatitis C micro-elimination within its drug treatment services, marking a significant step towards eliminating the virus as a public health threat. The achievement, made possible through collaboration between Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Change Grow Live, The Hep C Trust and others, has seen 100% of people accessing local drug treatment services offered testing, with 97.4% of those diagnosed linked into care and treatment.

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Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine Welcomes St Jude’s Pharmacogenomics Experts

The Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine has welcomed a delegation of leading pharmacogenomics experts from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, as part of an NHS England Network of Excellence collaboration. The visit brought together clinicians, researchers and pharmacy specialists to share expertise in how genetic makeup influences medicine response, including showcasing Manchester’s world-first bedside genetic test that has protected approximately 40 babies from antibiotic-induced hearing loss.

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Manchester-Led Research Shows Cultural Sector Can Accelerate City Climate Action

Research led by The University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research has shown that the cultural sector can be a powerful driver of climate action, following Liverpool’s year as the first UN Climate Change Accelerator City. The evaluation of nine real-world pilot projects found that the programme delivered lasting practical changes, including new sustainability standards for film and TV production, improved carbon reporting and greener operational practices across major venues.

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Plans Submitted for Rooftop Terrace at Evolving First Street Office

Alinor and Oval have submitted plans for a 3,000 sq ft roof terrace at Tony Wilson Place in First Street, part of a £34m refurbishment of the vacant 167,000 sq ft office building. The comprehensive repositioning, led by jmarchitects and JLL, also targets a significant sustainability upgrade from an EPC D to A, alongside a new entrance and refreshed cladding.

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Peveril of the Peak Named Britain’s Best Pub by Time Out

We couldn’t agree more with Time Out’s verdict. The Pev, has been named Britain’s best pub. One of our personal favourites, this magnificent green-tiled gem on Great Bridgewater Street has been serving proper pints for nearly two centuries. It’s a true Manchester institution, complete with original fittings, cosy nooks and a jukebox – and even Eric Cantona was a fan. Here’s to Sandbar taking the crown in ’27!

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Stan the T. rex to Leave Manchester Museum for Spectacular Residency at Victoria Baths

And finally… Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex at the heart of Manchester Museum’s Fossils Gallery, is set to leave the University of Manchester for the first time since arriving in 2004. The 12-metre-long dinosaur will take up residence in the Gala Pool at Victoria Baths from 22 March to 19 April 2027, marking a once-in-a-generation opportunity for visitors to experience the T. rex in an entirely new setting.

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