Our work on Goal 9

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

Goal 9: Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Goal 9: Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

As one of the world’s leading research institutions and the UK’s first university to have social responsibility as a core goal, we’re tackling the SDGs in four inter-related ways: through our research, learning and students, public engagement activity and operations.

Here’s a selection of our work addressing Goal 9.

Research

Investigating the Housing and Construction Sector’s Role in Net-Zero Challenges

A research team from the Alliance Manchester Business School and Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIOIR) is working on a project for The Productivity Institute: ‘Addressing the net-zero and productivity challenges: How could the housing and construction sector play a key role?’. The team is looking to develop a more precise understanding of the productivity challenges in the construction sector and hope to uncover ways in which more sustainable practices can deliver productivity improvements. The research project focuses on solutions for the UK market and involves extensive collaboration with industry. Importantly, the ultimate aim is to help advance towards the UK’s net-zero target and improve productivity growth targets.

University Researcher Gives Evidence to Support Levelling Up through R&D

A researcher at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research at the University has given a speech at the Geography of Innovation international conference held in Milan, Italy in July to support an increase in R&D (research and development) public spending across the UK regions. This comes after concerns that the regional sub-national R&D is unevenly distributed, with London and the South East (LSE) accounting for 54% of the UK’s private R&D spending and 52% of the UK Government’s R&D expenditure. On Productivity a report written by experts from our University also seeks to understand and address gaps in economic performance across the UK.

 

Learning and students

University holds Talking Science Competition

Each year, the University’s Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (FBMH) hosts the ‘Talking Science Competition’ where second year undergraduate students and above are invited to share their ideas on how science can create a healthier, fairer and greener world, creating a unique opportunity to talk about a subject that really matters to them. Winners are selected by a panel made up of Faculty academic and professional services staff, alumni and sci comms students.

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.

 

Public engagement

Manchester Innovation Labs

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

Great Science Share for Schools

The Great Science Share for Schools aims to raise the profile of science in schools and communities, and inspire young people into science and engineering.

The campaign has formed industry partnerships with Siemens, The Royal Society, The Ogden Trust, BASF and many more. It engaged 317,655 young people with a central theme of SDG 13 and science learning related to real-world issues in 2022.

 

Operations

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.