EDI interdisciplinary course unit

Our new interdisciplinary unit, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): Your Role in Shaping a Fairer World, is open to all undergraduate students and empowers them to take responsibility for promoting inclusive approaches to study and work.

Social Justice Challenge

All second-year students can take part in our Social Justice Challenge, an online programme exploring key issues relating to migration, homelessness, education, mental health, energy and trade.

Addressing inequalities through study programmes

Students address inequalities in a wide range of course units.

These range from undergraduate Sociology students examining social inequalities in contemporary Britain right through to master’s programmes in International Development.

Independent Inequalities Commission

An Independent Inequalities Commission involved two experts from the University set out a range of measures for tackling inequality and transforming public policy across Greater Manchester.

The Commission outlined specific, ambitious recommendations for the future of our city-region, covering economic growth, health, wellbeing, jobs, housing, transport, skills and training, which will be embedded within public service delivery at all levels and informs the elected Mayor’s next Greater Manchester Strategy.

Work and Equalities Institute

Our Work and Equalities Institute identifies and promotes the conditions for more inclusive and fair work and employment arrangements.

The research explores challenges for equality, fairness and sustainability in the workplace, and considers how employers are responding to the challenge of an increasingly diverse workforce and what new institutions are needed to enforce fair rights and responsibilities at work.

Global inequalities

Global inequalities is one of our five research beacons.

We support dedicated Institutes, Centres and Networks to foster world-leading interdisciplinary research into making our city, our region, our nation, and our world a fairer and more equal place to live.

Manchester Innovation Factory

Our Manchester Innovation Factory helps protect and commercialise our innovations and intellectual property by creating 15-20 new spin-out companies each year based on our novel ideas.

Innovation GM

We’re working with leading innovators from business, science, academia and local government in developing Innovation GM.

This is a new partnership to form the basis of a collaboration deal with government to create as many as 100,000 new jobs and boost the economy by £7 billion.

Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD)

Our recently constructed Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) is creating an environment for the brightest engineers to innovate.

Manchester Innovation Labs

Our Manchester Innovation Labs provide a robust, effective means of co-developing research projects with companies to address a business need.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

We have been placed top in the UK for our knowledge transfer partnerships.

Through our structure and funding support, we place graduates to support businesses in addressing key innovation challenges.

Manchester Enterprise Challenge

Our students are able to undertake an Enterprise Challenge, which combines enterprise units with a community-based enterprise project with not-for-profit organisations.

Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

Our Masood Entrepreneurship Centre is a focal point for enterprise and entrepreneurship in our Alliance Manchester Business School, developing entrepreneurial skills in students, staff and graduates.

Fostering innovation through study programmes

We deliver undergraduate programmes in Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, master’s programmes in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship.

We also integrate industrial experience into a wide range of science, engineering, health and social science programmes.

Advancing STEM skills in Africa

Our Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics is using its global research status to advance innovative STEM training and infrastructure development for research communities across Africa.

This includes the Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy and Big Data programmes, supporting self-sustaining research communities and investment in new research infrastructure in Africa.

Innovation research

Our Digital Futures network of 1,500 researchers across 30 disciplines is working with citizens, businesses and government to help understand and drive digital innovation.

We’re part of Health Innovation Manchester – an integrated ecosystem to discover, develop and deploy new solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of Greater Manchester’s 2.8 million citizens.

Our Henry Royce Institute is a UK national institute for advanced materials research and innovation. Our National Graphene Institute and Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre provide an innovation ecosystem to research and develop graphene and other 2D material applications in areas such as energy storage, nanomedicine and water purification.

Living wage

As an accredited Living Wage Employer, our 10,000+ staff are paid at least the voluntary living wage level in the UK set by the Living Wage Foundation.

Innovation GM

We’re working with leading innovators from business, science, academia and local government to develop Innovation GM – a new partnership to form the basis of a collaboration deal with government to create as many as 100,000 new jobs and boost the economy by £7 billion.

Capacity-building for NGOs, businesses and government

We deliver free activities and resources for the public, private and third sector including vocational training, executive education and continued professional development.

We’ve helped create a pioneering NGO Explorer to build networks, increase transparency and provide potential for commissioning of work with NGOs through a searchable database.

Our annual Prometheus programme offers learning and development opportunities for third-sector leaders to make their organisations grow and be economically sustainable.

Good employment

Our Alliance Manchester Business School has partnered with regional organisations and authorities to create the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, which aims to advance decent work and employment standards across our city region.

We have also joined campaigns with Citizens UK to highlight our role as a living wage organisation.

Workplace Ethics Challenge

Our Workplace Ethics Challenge empowers third-year undergraduates with skills and experiences on fairness in work and helps them stand out in a competitive graduate job market.

Work experience bursaries

We recognise there are barriers for some of our students in accessing appropriate work experience.

We offer financial support for full-time undergraduates of all years to undertake career-enhancing work experience for those who otherwise couldn’t have afforded it.

Promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth through study programmes

Our students are learning about how to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.

For example, our undergraduate Management degree has a specialisation in Sustainable and Ethical Business. Our master’s students in Development Economics and Policy learn about contemporary economic theories, applications and methods relevant to developing and transitional economies.

Influencing international and national employment policies to promote inclusive labour markets

Our Work and Equalities Institute is providing the evidence base to inform global employment debates and policies.

Research in three key areas is undertaken: minimum wage and collective bargaining; the gender pay gap; and precarious work.

This work is shaping guidance produced by international policy bodies and national policies of multiple countries, and is also providing evidence for European trade unions in their interactions with EU and national policymakers.

The Productivity Institute

Our Alliance Manchester Business School hosts The Productivity Institute – a new UK-wide £32 million research organisation exploring what productivity means for business, for workers and for communities, how it is measured and how it contributes to increased living standards and wellbeing.

It will help pinpoint the causes of stagnation in UK productivity and lay foundations for sustained and inclusive productivity growth by directly informing government policies and business strategies to improve productivity.