September News Roundup

The new academic year is well and truly underway, and Oxford Road has returned to full capacity. From major research funding and new spinouts to community arts awards and healthcare breakthroughs, September has brought a steady stream of stories reflecting the breadth of activity across the Corridor.

Here’s a look at what’s been happening.

Manchester Met named Modern University of the Year for second year running

Manchester Metropolitan University has been named Modern University of the Year 2027 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide for the second consecutive year. The University was also awarded University of the Year for Scholarships and Bursaries 2027, recognising its commitment to widening participation through extensive support packages.

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University of Manchester subjects ranked in the world top 50 in latest rankings

Ten subjects from The University of Manchester are ranked among the world’s top 50 in the 2026 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, including five in the global top 25. Geography remains in the world top 10, while Dentistry and Oral Sciences is ranked 13th, Physics 16th and Metallurgical Engineering 18th.

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Four Manchester academics become Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences

Four experts from The University of Manchester have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of their contributions to social science. Professors Richard Kingston, Yaojun Li, Konstantinos Stathopoulos and Andreja Zevnik have been recognised for work spanning digital planning, social mobility, corporate governance and political resistance.

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Manchester academics enjoy Royal Academy success

Four academics from The University of Manchester have been appointed Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, while three have received the prestigious Colin Campbell Mitchell Award. Professors Danielle George, Alan Partridge, Richard Curry and Visiting Professor Kirsty Armer were elected as Fellows, while Professors Barry Lennox and Michael Fisher, and Visiting Professor Kirsty Hewitson, were recognised for pioneering robotics and AI work in hazardous environments.

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Manchester researchers awarded Future Leaders Fellowships

Three Manchester researchers have been awarded UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships to lead bold challenge-led research, spanning ocean engineering, wearable healthcare, and biotechnology – with applications ranging from offshore energy and cancer care, to sustainable manufacturing.

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Andrew Melchior appointed Honorary Professor in Computer Science

Creative technologist Andrew Melchior, CTO for Massive Attack who has also worked with Björk and David Bowie, has been appointed Honorary Professor in Computer Science at The University of Manchester. The three-year appointment will support research, teaching and knowledge exchange at the intersection of AI, creative practice, copyright and digital provenance.

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Royce Institute receives £95m funding to back the next generation of materials research

The Henry Royce Institute is set to receive £95 million as part of a £162 million package to drive forward medical and materials research. The funding, announced by Science Minister Chris McDonald, will help the UK remain at the forefront of advanced materials research and turn scientific discoveries into commercial products.

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Driving Growth: 11 New Spinout Companies from The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester Innovation Factory has launched 11 new spinout companies in the 25/26 financial year, securing over £56m of investment into its portfolio. The new companies include Grid Stability, Lutèo Medical, SpinOr, Imprinted Diagnostics, ColoriQuo, FLAG-Me SAFE, Pacentrica, Precica, InformiX Pharma, Zenithym and C3 Biotechnologies, reflecting the breadth of research across the University.

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Greater Manchester’s deep tech accelerator launches applications for its second cohort

Applications are now open for the second cohort of the Unit M deep tech accelerator, offering £25,000 in equity-free funding and commercialisation support to 7-10 ventures across Greater Manchester. Delivered by Unit M, The University of Manchester’s innovation unit, and backed by Greater Manchester Investment Zone funding, the programme runs from November 2026 to April 2027.

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Sister and Dublin’s Guinness Enterprise Centre sign MoU to accelerate UK-Irish startup growth

Sister, Manchester’s £1.7bn innovation district, has signed a 12-month Memorandum of Understanding with Dublin’s Guinness Enterprise Centre to help startups scale overseas. The partnership offers reciprocal workspace access, market entry support and cross-border networking, strengthening the £2bn Manchester–Dublin connection.

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2026 Global Cities Index: Manchester outpaces all other UK cities

Manchester has been named one of the top five cities to watch in Europe in the 2026 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index, and is the only UK city on that list. The city outpaced all other UK cities in GDP and productivity growth, with strong momentum in professional business services.

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Manchester to host world leaders at the 2027 G20 Summit

Manchester has been chosen to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit on 27 and 28 November 2027, bringing heads of government from the world’s largest economies to the city. The summit will be held at Manchester Central Convention Centre, showcasing the city region on the global stage and driving investment and jobs.

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New Manchester City Council Leader appointed

Cllr Garry Bridges succeeds Bev Craig as Leader of Manchester City Council. The change in leadership comes as Manchester continues to build on its recent success, including the city’s growing international profile and its role in driving economic growth across the city region.

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CRS takes 13,700 sq ft at Manchester’s Tootal Buildings

Consumer Rights Solicitors has leased an entire floor at the grade two-listed Tootal Buildings on Oxford Road. The 13,700 sq ft deal at the Lee House element of the building gives CRS a new headquarters, following a two-year search led by Sixteen Real Estate.

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GMCA allocates £163m from Good Growth Fund to innovation, housing and transport

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has earmarked £163m in its latest round of allocations from the £2bn Good Growth Fund, taking total pledges beyond £1bn since launch. Among the innovation awards, life sciences outfit QIAGEN Precision Diagnostics receives £4.85m to create 18,000 sq ft of lab space at CityLabs, while FUSE-M receives £16m for a 17,000 sq ft facility at Manchester Metropolitan University bringing together creative and immersive technologies with engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

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Manchester on hunt for team to refresh Piccadilly vision on NPR opportunity

Manchester City Council is seeking a consultancy team to refresh the strategic regeneration framework for 370 acres around Piccadilly station, as city leaders push for an underground station as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail. The £250,000 commission will update the vision for Piccadilly Central, with bids open until 21 October.

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New Brain Health Centre marks a step change in dementia diagnosis and prevention

A UK-first brain health clinic set to transform how dementia is diagnosed, slowed down or prevented has launched in Manchester on World Alzheimer’s Day. The Manchester Brain Health Centre is a two-year pilot led by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester and Alzheimer’s Society, designed as a scalable model for nationwide adoption.

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MHRA and Manchester NHS partner to bring safe healthcare innovations to patients sooner

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust have launched a major new partnership to test promising healthcare innovations in real NHS settings. The first programme, a Manchester Sandbox, will allow AI-enabled medical devices and other technologies to be deployed and evaluated safely, generating evidence for wider adoption.

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University of Manchester scientist develops pioneering tear test for brain tumours

A University of Manchester scientist is leading pioneering research into a test that can detect brain tumours by analysing tear fluid. Professor Petra Hamerlik, who lost her father to a brain tumour when she was 15, said the work was deeply personal. The NHS-approved study has involved around 500 participants across eight sites and initial trials have proved successful, with the research due to be published worldwide. Professor Hamerlik noted it is likely to be a decade before the test is rolled out.

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The Whitworth wins Best Museums Change Lives Project Award for Recoverist Curators

The Whitworth has won the Best Museums Change Lives Project Award for ‘Recoverist Curators: Reimagining the World We Live In’. The co-produced exhibition programme partnered with Portraits of Recovery, the UK’s only visual arts charity specialising in recovery from drug and alcohol use, recruiting six participants as co-curators to select artworks from the gallery’s collection and challenge stigma surrounding addiction.

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SODA graduate shortlisted for Abbey Road Music Photography Awards

Manchester Met photography graduate Jack Oliver was shortlisted for the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards in the Music Moment of the Year category. His photograph captured Charli xcx burning the Brat flag during her Glastonbury set. The category, presented in partnership with Outernet London, saw finalists displayed in a digital exhibition at the Now Arcade.

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Manchester School of Architecture student wins Foster + Partners Emerging Technology Prize

BA student Eva Lippett has won the Foster + Partners Emerging Technology Prize for her project The Museum of Decay, a post-humanist reinterpretation of the museum typology responding to the biodiversity crisis. Located on Pomona Island, the proposal embraces deterioration as ecological succession, reimagining death as transformation through biodegradable memorials embedded with seeds and ashes. Her work has also been nominated for the RIBA Bronze Medal and the Architects’ Journal Best Undergraduate Project, and she received the Friedel Helene Walsingham Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

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Contact announces new partnership with Autotrader

Contact has announced a new partnership with Autotrader, designed to support its work with young people. The collaboration will fund existing programmes such as Studio School while launching ambitious new projects, reflecting Autotrader’s commitment to having a positive impact on the communities it operates in.

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New scriptwriting programme for young Black creatives launches in memory of Alex Wheatle

Manchester Met has partnered with Theatre Peckham and Words of Colour to launch The Alex Wheatle Witness Writing Project, a new scriptwriting programme for ten young Black creatives aged 17-30. Inspired by the legacy of the late Alex Wheatle MBE, a much-loved Manchester Met creative writing lecturer, the programme will culminate in a showcase at Theatre Peckham’s Young, Gifted & Black season.

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RNCM welcomes five new professors to the School of Wind, Brass and Percussion

The Royal Northern College of Music has appointed five distinguished new professors to its School of Wind, Brass and Percussion. Clarinettist Julian Bliss and saxophonist Mariano García join as International Visiting Professors, while Elena Comelli, Gareth Twigg and Frederico Paixão join as Professors of Bassoon, Contrabassoon and Flute/Baroque Flute respectively.

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Queen drummer Roger Taylor honoured by RNCM

And finally… The Royal Northern College of Music has honoured Queen drummer Roger Taylor, recognising his outstanding contribution to music and his enduring influence on generations of musicians. The accolade further strengthens the RNCM’s tradition of celebrating world-leading artists while inspiring its students.

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