Goal 16: Policies, processes and practices

The following page outlines specific policies, processes and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions.

University governance measures 

We have elected representation on the University’s highest governing body from: students (both undergraduate and graduate), faculty, and staff (non-faculty employees). Our current Board of Governors includes representatives from ex-officio members, lay members, members of the Senate, members of staff other than academic staff and student members. These include elected staff, students and faculty. 

We also recognise an independent, student-led Students’ Union. The Union provides governance input to the University through student representation on key decision-making bodies, including the Board of Governors, Senate, and various University committees. It offers a wide range of support services, including advice on academic issues, housing, finance, and wellbeing, and organises a vibrant programme of social, cultural, and volunteering activities. With over 400 student societies and an elected executive team, the Students’ Union ensures that students’ voices are heard, supported, and actively shape University life.

University principles on corruption and bribery  

We have an Anti-corruption and bribery policy.  

This policy sets out the University’s principles and commitments to prevent bribery, corruption, and organised crime. The policy confirms the University operates a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of bribery and corruption, requiring all staff, students, contractors, and partners to act honestly, transparently, and with integrity in all activities. The policy applies across procurement, financial management, research, and international partnerships. It upholds full compliance with the UK Bribery Act 2010 and relevant international legislation, supported by mandatory staff training and audit procedures that ensure awareness, prevention, and accountability.

Academic freedom 

The University of Manchester is founded on the principle that academic freedom is essential to the pursuit of truth and the public good. Our Policy on Speech and Academic Freedom (updated in 2024 and in 2025) affirms our commitment to protect the freedom of all academic staff, both senior and junior, to conduct research, teach, publish, and engage publicly without interference or fear of reprisal.

The policy guarantees:

• Freedom of research for both senior and early-career academics to select and pursue areas of inquiry in line with disciplinary and ethical standards.
• Freedom of teaching for all academic staff to design, deliver, and discuss teaching content informed by research and academic judgment.
• Freedom of expression and public engagement to speak, write, and contribute to public debate within the law, reflecting our civic role as a public-facing university.
• Protection for junior researchers through our Research Integrity Concordat, Code of Good Research Conduct, and mentoring frameworks ensuring academic independence.

Academic freedom is also embedded in our University Statutes and Ordinances; ensuring governance oversight by Senate and the Board of Governors. Annual training and guidance for research and teaching staff, delivered via the Researcher Development Programme and Academic Leadership Programmes is also provided.

Our Future, the University’s strategic plan, published in 2020 and updated in 2022, also commits us to academic freedom for staff at all levels, as one of our six core values. This is underpinned by our policy on supporting academic freedom (freedom to choose areas of research and to speak and teach publicly about the area of their research) for all students and staff, both junior and senior. We recognise the importance of freedom of speech in supporting academics in their research. Together, these frameworks uphold the right of all University members, regardless of career stage, to pursue knowledge freely and responsibly.

Policy and lawmakers outreach and education

We provide extensive outreach, education, and capacity-building activities to strengthen evidence-informed policymaking at local, regional and national levels.

We are a key delivery partner in Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE): a knowledge exchange and research project that supports effective and sustained engagement between academics and government policy professionals. CAPE is a partnership between universities and the Government Office for Science, the Parliamentary Office for Science & Technology, Nesta, and the Transforming Evidence Hub.

Additionally, our Policy@Manchester and the Greater Manchester Policy Hub connect researchers and decision-makers through briefings, workshops and professional-learning events.

The GM Policy Hub, which is part of Policy@Manchester, provides regular outreach and capacity-building seminars for local policymakers. In 2024, the Hub hosted events on:

• Decarbonising domestic heating;
• Women’s safety in public spaces;
• Community-centred approaches to active travel policy;
• Economic inactivity and inequalities;
• Artificial intelligence and future transport and mobility.

These events help local and regional authorities to integrate university policy-focused research, develop joint work and facilitate peer-to-peer learning and strengthen the capacity of local government professionals to apply research in real-world policymaking.

The Thomas Ashton Institute, a partnership between the University and the UK Government’s Health and Safety Executive, delivers collaborative research, outreach and professional education on safety, risk and regulatory compliance. In 2023–24, the Institute completed a series of projects for the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), part of the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, focusing on behavioural change and ICT legacy in transformational government projects. The work involved interviews with civil servants, applied analysis, and the co-production of practical outputs for senior leadership teams across government.

Additionally, we have supported law/policy makers with an event on SDG16 around the legal and forensic issues of the government ‘Prevent‘ programme to tackle terrorism. These capacity-building workshops target a range of professionals from across the public and private sectors.

Engaging with local stakeholders

We have formal written policies and procedures to identify and engage with local stakeholders external to the University. These are set out in the University’s Statutes and governance framework, which establish the General Assembly as a key mechanism for community engagement. Statute IX states that the General Assembly shall “present the University and its achievements to the wider community and receive the views thereupon from that community,” enabling local stakeholders to contribute directly to University decision-making and strategic discussions. Membership of the General Assembly is reviewed and updated annually to ensure broad and diverse representation from local government, civil society, residents, business, and partner organisations.

In addition to the General Assembly, we maintain participatory forums and engagement structures that bring local voices into University activities. These include our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement initiatives, through which over 20 different opportunities are provided for members of the public to contribute to research and teaching, including user groups, advisory panels, and collaborative research design. We also host a Citizens’ Panel, which involves a representative sample of local residents in shaping University policy, strategy, and programmes. These mechanisms ensure that stakeholder engagement is both structured and inclusive, embedding the views of the wider community into the University’s planning, research, and civic activities.

Fostering dialogue: a neutral platform to discuss issues 

We act as a neutral, trusted space where policymakers, political stakeholders, civic leaders and academics can exchange ideas and debate the challenges facing society. Through Policy@Manchester we curate forums, roundtables and public discussions that foster evidence-informed dialogue across political boundaries.

Each year, the University hosts and participates in panel discussions at the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat party conferences, organised through Policy@Manchester. These events provide safe, neutral spaces for parliamentarians, civic leaders, charities, think-tanks and academics to share evidence and practical solutions on issues such as net-zero transitions, regional productivity and public health inequalities.

Additionally, we regularly arrange for experts from the University to join roundtable discussions with different political stakeholders. For Our Power in Place programme at Policy@Manchester, we organised a roundtable at the House of Commons that brought together different political stakeholders such as MPs and parliamentary representatives, alongside economists, planning experts, charities, business leaders and academics. The discussion explored how place-based approaches can help tackle poverty and inequality, foster inclusive local growth and shape more effective policy.

The University also ensures that open discussion thrives within its own community. Our Policy on Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom outlines responsibilities for staff, students and the Students’ Union in hosting events, guaranteeing that lawful expression and respectful debate can occur on campus. Events are reviewed through a transparent procedure to ensure compliance, security and inclusivity, protecting the University’s status as a neutral forum for dialogue.

Working with government

We provide expert, research-based advice to government at local, regional and national levels to inform public policy, decision-making and societal progress. Through our flagship initiative Policy@Manchester, academics translate world-leading research into targeted evidence, reports and recommendations that support policymakers to tackle the most pressing challenges facing society.

National policy advice

Policy@Manchester publish a series of evidence collections that provide national policy guidance for Parliament, central government departments and devolved administrations.

• On Critical Technologies — advises the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on strengthening the UK’s science-and-innovation ecosystem, focusing on AI, quantum, semiconductors and data security.
• On Hydrogen — sets out policy pathways for achieving UK Net Zero goals through hydrogen production, storage and transport, informing policy at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
• On Working Futures — provides recommendations for HM Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions on productivity, good work and skills development in a changing labour market.
• On School Matters — delivers evidence for the Department for Education and Ofsted on attendance, wellbeing and the long-term impact of pandemic-related learning loss.

These nationally distributed reports include policy recommendations, plain-language summaries and data visualisations designed for direct use by MPs, peers and civil servants. They demonstrate the University’s commitment to informing transparent, evidence-based governance. These reports are widely circulated across government and cited in parliamentary briefings and select-committee evidence submissions, reinforcing the University’s reputation as a trusted, independent source of expertise.

Regional and local government partnerships

At local, city and regional level, the University works closely with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Manchester City Council to ensure policy is grounded in evidence.

Through the Greater Manchester Policy Hub, academics collaborate directly with regional and local city policymakers via briefing notes, roundtables, blogs and policy dialogues.

• Contributing evidence to the Making Manchester Fairer action plan (2023–24), which addresses health inequalities across the city.
• Supporting Manchester City Council’s Anti-Poverty Strategy through task-group participation and research input from the University’s experts in social policy and public health.
• Working with our Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and other universities in the region through our Civic University Agreement (to provide advice and shape strategies on regional and local economic, social and environmental development.

These transparent, publicly available resources demonstrate how the University acts as an impartial convener of evidence and dialogue—strengthening democratic, evidence-informed decision-making.

Participation in government research

We play a sustained role as a research partner to UK government departments, contributing independent analysis, toolkits, and evaluation frameworks that directly inform policy and programme delivery. Through institutes and research centres across the University, we engage in co-produced and commissioned research in collaboration with the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC).

Our Thomas Ashton Institute for Risk and Regulatory Research led a study commissioned by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority into behavioural change in major transformation programmes. The resulting report, “Evidence on the Government’s Management of Major Projects,” identifies gaps and recommends interventions to improve project delivery across government.

In early 2024, the Institute launched the SALIENT Hub (Building a Secure and Resilient World) — a £4.3 million UKRI-funded initiative based at Manchester, with direct government collaboration on resilience, national security, supply chains and public risk scenarios. This hub is explicitly structured to inform national security policy and resilience planning.

The Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing contributes to the Healthy Ageing Policy Research Unit (PRU, 2024–28) which works with DHSC and partner bodies to generate policy-relevant research on ageing, frailty, and population health. This research is positioned to feed into national ageing policy, health service planning, and social care reforms. We also collaborate with Newcastle University and the London School of Economics on the Frailty Programme, which aims to address policymakers’ questions and assist the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in making informed decisions that impact the lives of older people.

Our African Cities Initiative (ACRC) is funded by the FCDO and conducts policy-relevant urban research to guide FCDO’s international development strategies.

Financial data 

We publish our University’s financial data annually, both in a normal report and through open data.  

1. Our annual statements of accounts for year ended 31 July 2023 can be accessed, here.  
2. An archive of these statements can be accessed, here.