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.

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.

ID Manchester

ID Manchester is a trailblazing new innovation district in the city of Manchester.

It is a 50:50 joint venture between the University and Bruntwood SciTech, and has the potential to create more than 10,000 new jobs in the next 10 to 15 years.

It will do this by providing specialist infrastructure to unlock and commercialise R&D innovation and create sustainable growth and employment opportunities.

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.

Renewable energy certification

Our electricity consumption is backed with REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) certification.

This means that for every megawatt (or 1,000kWh) of electricity the University consumes, the equivalent volume of electricity is generated from renewable sources.

University investments

We have a University policy (PDF) on divesting from carbon- intensive energy industries.

Our entire investment portfolio is going through a staged disinvestment based on carbon intensity as well as fossil fuel reserves and extraction.

Sustainable urban drainage

We utilise sustainable water extraction technologies on associated university grounds off campus.

This includes using sustainable urban drainage techniques to minimise surface water run-off and flood risks in an environmentally friendly way by mimicking natural water systems such as ponds, wetlands, swales and basins.

Water procurement

We sell exclusively One Water on campus, an ethical company that donates all of its profits to fund clean water systems in Africa while costing the same as other water brands.

Female sanitation

We’ve worked with our Students’ Union and current Women’s Officer to initiate and fund a new scheme providing free period products for our students, helping to combat period poverty and ensure sanitation for all.

Tap water

Staff and students can request free tap water to fill water bottles at 41 free dispensers in University buildings and 1,200 bathrooms, 800 of which are publicly accessible.

Gender equality policies

Our Equality and Diversity Policy prevents discrimination based on gender and/or sex.

Our Dignity at Work and Study Policy covers harassment and discrimination against women.

Our Report and Support system addresses alleged cases of bullying, sexual harassment or discrimination.

Gender pay gap

Our Gender Pay Gap report measures differences between the average (mean and median) earnings of men and women who work at our university.

The median gender pay gap (GPG) is 11.8%, while the mean is 17.2%, which is caused by the under-representation of women in senior roles.

We therefore aim to increase the number of women who are senior lecturers, readers and professors (currently 32%) until they are representative of the pool of women at lecturer level (currently 47%).

Gender equality

We recognise and value unpaid care and domestic work, which can often fall disproportionately on women.

We therefore strive to provide a range of policies and schemes that promote shared caring and domestic responsibilities.

These include our Parental Leave policies, provision of our two subsidised campus nurseries, and our new policy to trial hybrid working, which will support greater inclusion and flexibility for our staff.

Library and open access

Our University Library is one of only five National Research Libraries in the UK.

It offers reference facilities to north-west sixth-form and mature students and their teachers to help with A-level, vocational and Access course work.

ProjectInc

Our Manchester Museum hosts and partners with ProjectInc, a Specialist College for Creative Education, to make our cultural institutions more inclusive, engaging and creative for neurodiverse young people.

Green spaces, health and wellbeing

Our Natural and Cultural Health Service is a programme of outdoor activities run by the Whitworth to promote good physical and mental wellbeing.

Staff, students and the public are also encouraged to use our FIRS botanical gardens to bring gardening, wellbeing and botany to more people.

Sports participation

Our Sporticipate programme serves to provide free and low-cost entry-level sport sessions for the University and wider community.

Sports staff also facilitate volunteering by colleagues and students for the good of local organisations.

Health Innovation Manchester

Health Innovation Manchester works to develop and deploy new solutions that improve the health and wellbeing of Greater Manchester’s 2.8 million citizens.

We work in partnership with other regional institutions, authorities and health experts to respond to healthcare challenges across Greater Manchester, and drive national and global innovation agendas in frontline care.

Community Fridge

Our student-run, campus zero waste shop, Want Not Waste, holds a community fridge.

This contains food from unsold meals offered by local business and surplus raw ingredients provided by our catering outlets.

Stocking these items combats local food waste while helping to tackle food insecurity within our own university community.

Kindling Trust

We support the Kindling Trust, a local organisation aiming to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and economic inequity, by challenging and subverting the industrial food system. We buy vegetables through Kindling’s operatives and have taken shares in Kindling Farm – a new blueprint for fair, organic and ecological farming.

Student financial support

A significant proportion of our students are from families that fall below the national poverty line.

We offer a range of support to ensure that financial issues don’t present an obstacle for learners, including:

• The Manchester Bursary
• The Manchester Master’s Bursary
• The Undergraduate Access Scholarship
• The Living Cost Support Fund
• The ‘Helpmegetonline’ scheme

The Works

We’ve supported more than 4,000 local people into work through our unique partnership with the Manchester Growth Company on the initiative, The Works.