In the first steps of a massive development which will transform the former UMIST campus, the iconic Renold Building has been re-imagined as a new hub for community, business and innovation.
Manchester is a place where world-changing ideas are born. From the beginning of the First Industrial Revolution to the discovery of one of the 21st century’s most valuable materials, Graphene, the city holds a historic legacy of innovation.
Today, as a leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Manchester is growing as a hub of innovation. With an economic output rate set to outpace growth in London, the city is home to a vibrant start-up ecosystem, with more than 1,600 start-ups employing over 60,000 people, and has one of the highest graduate student retention rates of all UK cities, providing a vast pool of talent to draw upon.
As the city continues to transform itself into a destination for leading science and technology businesses, a new city centre district is emerging that will play a key role in Manchester’s ongoing evolution: Sister. A joint venture between The University of Manchester and Bruntwood SciTech, Sister will see the University’s former North Campus transformed into a world-leading innovation district over the next 15 years, with new workspaces, homes and public amenities delivered. Building on the city’s heritage of science and technology innovation, Sister aims to bring together industry, academia and local communities, to drive collaboration, spark new ideas and develop disruptive technologies that will help tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges.
While Sister’s ambitious vision will bring long-term impact to the city over the coming decades – including over 10,000 new jobs, over 2 million sq feet of commercial, retail and leisure space, 1,500 new homes and a new civic square – the foundations of the innovation district are being built now.
Autumn 2024 saw the opening of Sister’s first building, the Renold Innovation Hub. Designed by architect W.A.Gibbon, The Renold Building first opened on 23 November 1962 for the then Manchester College of Science and Technology (which later became UMIST) and took its name from the college’s Vice President, Sir Charles Renold. The building hosted a concentration of lecture theatres, and its unique folded exterior was designed to generate light and acoustics. Renold was used by The University of Manchester until 2021 and will be remembered fondly by former students and staff as a bustling teaching facility. The building’s striking architecture has attracted many fans, and its new lease of life will be welcomed, only a few years ago, The Guardian listed the Renold Building as one of Britain’s Brutalist buildings most at risk of demolition.
Today, it’s been reopened following a light-touch refurbishment and will act as a new home for visionary entrepreneurs, start-ups, and spin-outs. Renold offers no and low-cost workspaces and access to business support to a variety of early-stage science and tech businesses, with a particular focus on those within digital tech, health innovation, biotechnology and advanced materials and manufacturing.
Aiming to create an inclusive, purpose-driven community of innovators, Renold is already home to several organisations playing a key role in progressing the North West’s innovation economy, including Sustainable Ventures (specialising in climate tech), the Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester (AI and deep tech), the Christabel Pankhurst Institute (health tech), and the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst. It also neighbours the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (advanced materials) and other innovation assets throughout the Oxford Road Corridor.
Early stage businesses joining the Renold Innovation Hub will benefit from streamlined access to these key innovation initiatives, a network of ecosystem partners and a tailored programme of events and activities.
But beyond being a place for innovation to thrive and businesses to grow, Renold is also a community space. Since opening, Renold has already been host to a number of community events and provides free access to a community cafe space for anyone to drop in and work from. In the coming year, Sister will introduce various community initiatives that offer free and discounted access to event space bookings for local groups and organisations, along with a series of free events aimed at promoting wellbeing, fostering connections, and enhancing skills development.
Sister aims to be a driver of positive social change for local communities in Greater Manchester and beyond. Its long-term plans to deliver social value will focus on establishing connections with local schools, opening funding for local community groups and third-sector organisations and creating new partnerships to support Greater Manchester residents.
Through building relationships, creating new partnerships and collaborating with a wide network of science and technology businesses and industry partners, Sister will be an inclusive, purpose-driven community, hosting the UK’s next wave of innovators right here within the heart of Manchester.
