The Venture Further Awards is an annual start-up competition for all students and recent graduates that offers a £100,000 prize fund. The competition introduces students to a world of support programmes, workshops, mentors and networks to grow their ideas. The entries need to be a viable and credible business proposal that has the potential to succeed. If the entry is successful, the student will be asked to pitch their business proposal to a panel of expert judges for a chance to win one of the cash prizes.

The University was awarded the prestigious title of University of the Year at the 2024 Educate North Awards. The recognition is a testament to two centuries of outstanding contributions in learning, innovation, and research, cementing our position as a global leader in higher education.

The University’s Science and Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub (SEERIH) is a nationally recognised hub for teacher development. Through several innovative and research informed projects and programmes, SEERIH engages and develops teachers to ensure high-quality learning outcomes for young people across Greater Manchester and on a national scale. 

Find out about SEERIH’s projects and impact, here. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Our student-led Manchester Energy and Environment Society brings energy-related events to the University.

It also bridges the gap between students and academics working in renewable energy and the environment through networking and sharing knowledge on renewable and low carbon energy.

Our £75,000 annual Venture Further start-up competition is for all current students, researchers and recent graduates.

One of the competition’s categories is for business ideas aligned to SDG 7 – Affordable and clean energy.

Our Amrita Live-in-Labs Project puts scientific and engineering research to practical use for societal benefit in India, a country that is home to 33%  f the world’s poor. For example, students from our Department of Materials designed a smokeless stove for cooking in huts to reduce respiratory problems and developed strategies to educate children in mathematics in Chhattisgarh, a state with one of the poorest rates of educational achievement in India.