Preferred partner for £1.5 billion new global-leading ID Manchester announced by The University of Manchester

“Innovation is a core theme for the University as we enter our third century. The opportunity afforded by ID Manchester will provide more chances for our research to have an impact on the real world, it will be a place where we address the challenges facing the world in the 21st century and to explore new ideas to improve the health, wealth and happiness of our fellow citizens.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell,
President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester

“From the splitting of the atom to the first isolation of graphene, Manchester has been at the forefront of global innovation. The ambition to create an innovation district of this size and scale will help transform the UK’s knowledge economy and cement the UK’s status as world leader in science, technology and engineering. Working in partnership with The University of Manchester, we will create a global exemplar that will support national and international investment into science and technology, creating new pathways for the translation of research, and new cultures for enterprise”

Chris Oglesby, Executive Chair, Bruntwood SciTech

ID Manchester is an internationally-significant project that will cement the UK’s position in the science and technology sector; providing vital specialist infrastructure to power the growth of the knowledge economy and unlock the potential to commercialise R&D innovation, supporting the UK to build back better and level up.

The University of Manchester and Bruntwood SciTech, a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, will now form a new partnership to enhance, develop and deliver the vision to establish ID Manchester as home to a global community that will play a vital role in the future of the UK science and technology sector, with the potential to create over 10,000 new jobs in the next 10-15 years.

Place design and placemaking will be central to the development of ID Manchester, which when complete will provide over four million square feet (370,000 square metres) including 2.6 million square feet (240,000 square metres) of new commercial workspace and a £28 million investment in the public realm that will provide a focal point for a vibrant events programme.

The area benefits from existing green space and the unique feature of the 650,000 square feet (60,000 square metres) Grade II-listed Sackville Street Building.

ID Manchester is Legal & General’s 9^th significant urban regeneration scheme, having invested billions of pounds in partnerships with universities such as Oxford and Newcastle and Local Authorities in areas such as Cardiff, Salford and Sunderland.

It is expected the joint venture agreement will be signed by the autumn. The new joint venture partnership will see Stanhope plc appointed as strategic development manager in their first project outside of the South East of England, confirming the developer’s commitment to the Life Sciences sector across the UK. The partnership will work together on the next stage of the masterplan for ID Manchester.

Diana Hampson, Director of Estates and Facilities at The University of Manchester said: “ID Manchester will be a unique new neighbourhood. Our vision draws on Manchester’s ecosystem of ideas, discovery, research and development, and ID Manchester will provide the canvas on which all those strands can come together to take urban regeneration to a whole new level. ID Manchester will be where our most valuable discoveries today, are tried, tested and developed into the technology, buildings and commerce of tomorrow. We are looking forward to working with Bruntwood SciTech to build on our vision and deliver ID Manchester.”

The opportunity for ID Manchester follows the completion of the new £400 million Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) which will be the largest home for engineering in any UK university and provide world-class sustainable teaching and research facilities for 8,000 students, researchers, academics and professional services staff who will relocate from their existing facilities.

The University occupies the recently opened £60 million Masdar Building, home to the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, and the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology at the south end of the site and these key research institutes and the University’s world leading strengths in Health Innovation and Digital Technology will form core pillars from which the cluster of companies located at ID Manchester will be built.

ID Manchester is poised to become one of the final pieces of transformative urban regeneration within the city centre and an exemplar for a new approach to sustainable, inclusive development.

ID Manchester is located to the south of the city centre adjacent to Piccadilly Railway Station, the University campus, and the existing innovation ecosystem clustered around the Oxford Road Corridor, part of the largest clinical academic campus in Europe and includes Circle Square, the Citylabs campus, and Manchester Science Park – all three of which are already part of the Bruntwood SciTech network, and the £1 billion investment already being made into its main Oxford Road campus by The University of Manchester.

Because of the unique collection of institutions and businesses based here, the Oxford Road Corridor has become recognised as home to one of Europe’s most important innovation ecosystems. ID Manchester represents the largest remaining development opportunity adjacent to this internationally important innovation hub.