Mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue and chikungunya, are a significant health inequality and a major cause of poverty. In Africa, particularly in coastal Kenya, cases have risen sharply over the past 30 years. Understanding the factors behind disease transmission is key to effective management. 

Research by teams at The University of Manchester has highlighted high genetic diversity in forest Aedes aegypti and other forest Aedes species in Africa. Notably, differences in their odorant receptors are leading to increased feeding on humans. This diversity may result from interbreeding with domestic Aedes aegypti from outside Africa or the invasion of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes from Southeast Asia. 

This project, co-developed and led by researchers in Kenya and at The University of Manchester, will investigate these possibilities in the Tana River region and Kenya Coast. These areas contain forested regions near the port of Mombasa, a key entry point for invasive mosquito species. 

By integrating data on mosquitoes, viruses, monkeys, and humans across the coastal Kenyan landscape, the project aims to map disease transmission patterns. Identifying the environmental and socio-behavioural factors driving transmission will help the Ministry of Health improve surveillance efforts and support local communities in preventing and mitigating disease spread.

The African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) is a collaborative research programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), designed to address the complex urban development challenges in Africa’s rapidly changing cities.  

Led by the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester, ACRC aims to generate robust insights and evidence that will improve living conditions and urban services for all city residents, especially disadvantaged communities. 

In Nairobi, Kenya, ACRC is utilising research processes to bring together key stakeholders from local communities and government to navigate contentious urban issues. The initiative aims to establish new approaches across the city and beyond. Nurturing coalitions of urban reform champions is also a key focus at the city level. This work is being led by teams from cities, Slum Dwellers International (SDI), the University of Nairobi, Strathmore University, LVCT Health, and others, with support from the Global Development Institute. 

Findings from ACRC research highlight a range of urban development challenges in Nairobi and provide several recommendations for advancing urban reform in the city.

The collaboration between the African Constituency Bureau (ACB) and The University of Manchester presents a significant opportunity to strengthen Africa’s position in global health governance.  

Established by African Ministers of Health in 2017 with the endorsement of the African Union (AU), the ACB has been instrumental in advocating for policies that address Africa’s specific health challenges, particularly in areas such as HIV, TB, malaria, and more recently, COVID-19. 

By supporting the ACB’s institutional growth, technical expertise, and policy advocacy, The University of Manchester aims to play a transformative role in shaping Africa’s health future and contributing to the broader global health community. 

This partnership will focus on achieving long-lasting improvements in sustainable health financing, disease prevention, and the resilience of African health systems.

Kisii University, The University of Manchester, and the County Government of Kisii are working in partnership to develop a Centre of Excellence in Healthcare Education and Training (CEHET). 

This Centre will train flexible, multidisciplinary healthcare workers required to meet the evolving health needs of the local population in the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) in Western Kenya, and across the country, supporting Kenya’s goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage. 

A major challenge in Kenya is the low doctor-to-patient ratio, with only twelve (12) doctors per 100,000 people, well below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended ratio of thirty-six (36) doctors per 100,000 people. 

This gap can only be addressed by increasing the number of healthcare professionals in training. The development of this Centre will significantly improve the availability of specialist care, reduce the number of Kenyans seeking medical treatment abroad, and increase the number of patients, primarily from other African countries, seeking care in Kenya.

The University of Manchester in collaboration with the Kisii County Health Ministry and Kisii University, is addressing gaps in the emergency care system, particularly in rural areas where systems are underdeveloped. The Kisii Emergency Care Project is a multi-pronged initiative designed to build a sustainable and effective emergency care system, aiming to improve healthcare delivery in Kisii and across Kenya. 

To support the development of an emergency care system aligned with the Kenyan Emergency Medical Care Strategy, our University teams are helping design and implement a new emergency care model for Kisii. This model could eventually be expanded to other regions of Kenya. The project focuses on strengthening the chain of survival in emergency care through five key areas: Emergency Call Centre, Community First Responders, Ambulance Service, Specialist Emergency Nursing, and Accredited Specialists in Emergency Medicine. 

Researchers at The University of Manchester are developing a novel approach to investigate the relationship between changes in surface water, human and animal interactions, and gastrointestinal disease prevalence. 

Chronic zoonotic waterborne diseases are a leading cause of morbidity in landscapes shared by people, livestock, and wildlife in East Africa. However, disease surveillance remains focused on acute, epidemic diseases. 

Co-created with local partners and institutions in Kenya and Tanzania, this project aims to examine how environmental factors, such as water availability and quality, contribute to the spread of diseases among humans, livestock, and wildlife in the region. There is an urgent need to improve access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, especially for vulnerable populations, to reduce preventable deaths. 

An interdisciplinary team of experts in epidemiology, disease ecology, and physical geography will examine issues like water scarcity and contamination to deepen our understanding of how these factors affect health across different populations. 

The findings will inform strategies for sustainable water management and disease prevention, aiming to reduce waterborne disease risks and lower mortality rates in East Africa. Additionally, the results will contribute to global policy frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, WHO International Health Regulations, and the African Union Agenda 2063.

We will establish a new Centre of Excellence in Cancer Genomics at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), to advance precision cancer medicine and improve cancer care in Kenya. This initiative will include a dedicated genomics laboratory to study the genetic causes of cancer in East African populations and support the training of specialist healthcare professionals in genomic medicine and research.  

Genetic knowledge plays a crucial role in cancer detection, diagnosis, and management. Advances in genotyping technology, which allow for the identification of genetic changes, are significantly improving cancer treatment. The new Centre of Excellence at KUTRRH will provide the scientific foundation needed to transition to precision cancer medicine in Kenya. 

The University and the Christie Hospital in Manchester have formed a long-term partnership Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) to enhance cancer services and early detection in Kenya and the East African region.  

Cancer care places a growing strain on Kenya’s limited health resources. In 2020, the National Cancer Institute estimated that cancer was the third leading cause of mortality in Kenya, claiming 27,000 lives. With 70% of cases diagnosed at a late stage, patients face poorer outcomes and higher treatment costs. Reducing this burden requires improved early detection and more precise treatment. 

The University of Manchester and The Christie Hospital have chosen to partner with KUTRRH as they have world class facilities for the detection and treatment of cancer, including the Integrated Molecular Imaging Centre, molecular pathology, Cyberknife, and a LINAC machine. 

Joined Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) is a research centre focused on the pursuit of sustainability transformations that are people-centred, ‘joined-up’ and socially just. It represents a multimillion-pound investment by the ESRC to enable research to make ground-breaking contributions to such transformations. The JUST Centre seeks to accelerate understanding of a just transition through coordinating research into action at all levels of society. 

Greater Manchester is set to become the first Creative Health City Region, thanks to a £800,000 grant from Arts Council England’s National Lottery-funded Place Partnership Fund. Led by NHS Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, this ambitious three-year project will unite public services, health and social care providers, cultural and voluntary organisations, higher education institutions, and local communities. The goal is to use creativity, culture, and heritage to tackle health inequalities and enhance the wellbeing of residents. 

In a significant show of collaboration, the Greater Manchester Civic University Agreement partners – University of Bolton, Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Manchester, The University of Salford and The Royal Northern College of Music – will play a pivotal role in the research and learning elements of the initiative under the banner of the Mayor’s Civic University Agreement. 

As the fourth most heavily populated country in the world, the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Indonesia is particularly alarming, accounting for 1 in 3 deaths. The SMARThealth programme tackle the high risk of CVD in rural parts of Indonesia and is projected to prevent 120,000 deaths. The team designed the SMARThealth app as a low-cost intervention to tackle CVD in Indonesia.

Each year we launch a report which highlights how we are addressing key issues facing humanity as set-out by the United Nations.  As the UK’s first university to have social responsibility as a core goal, we’ve developed a strategy to tackle the SDGs in four inter-related ways: through our research, learning and students, public engagement and operations.   

Our latest SDG report shows that the University published over 22,000 pieces of research on the SDGs in the past five years, which is 4% of the UK’s entire share of publications. It details teaching and learning programmes that address the SDGs, such as our ‘Creating a Sustainable World’ interdisciplinary unit. 

Global Futures is a global health strategy that aims to transform health outcomes, with a focus on levelling up healthcare provision and uplifting health systems globally. The strategy has been developed in direct response to predictions made by the World Health Organisation regarding the future of global health. 

The Greater Manchester Citizens Panel contributes to the strategic direction of the Greater Manchester Civic University Agreement, Greater Manchester Universities and research projects at the University of Manchester. 

The panel’s role is to analyse, understand, and act on the views of citizens across the city region. The panel is also supporting researchers at The University of Manchester to connect their work with the citizens of Greater Manchester. 

University of Manchester academics are working closely with Manchester City Council to tackle health inequalities.  

Making Manchester Fairer is Manchester City Council’s action plan to address health inequalities in the city. The plan draws on lived experiences and research to address the socioeconomic factors that drive inequalities between people with the worst health and people with the best health. 

The University’s Institute of Education has developed Local Matters, an initiative that empowers staff in primary and secondary schools to engage in action-based research to develop an evidence based local response to local issues.  

We work alongside and empower the school and community through a range of research skills and principles to create a localised, evidence-based response to local issues. The approach recognises that poverty is different in different places; Southampton is not the same as Bradford, so requires localised knowledge and localised answers. Essentially, it supports school staff to become place-based social justice researchers. 

Our Global Development Institute is the UK’s largest university-based postgraduate centre specialising in international development. The institute addresses global inequalities to promote a socially-just world.  

Emeritus Professor Stephanie Barrientos, from the Global Development Institute, has been elected as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fairtrade Foundation, bringing her research experience in corporate social responsibility, trade and labour standards, gender, and fair and ethical trade in global value chains. 

Led by academics at the University of Manchester, a new report, Whose Campus, Whose Security? draws upon a national survey and localised interviews in Greater Manchester to centre on the perspectives of students. In line with our commitment to Social Responsibility and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, the national research warns that harmful securitisation practices can undermine efforts to create a welcoming environment for all students. The report urges higher education institutions to do more to ensure an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students. The full report, the executive summary, and a graphic abstract can be accessed through the CoDE website, and pieces from the authors can be found in Times Higher Education, and WonkHE. 

Our researchers have been working with The University of Liverpool on an ethnographic study of police vehicle stops. The findings suggested Black men are routinely subjected to stop and search vehicle checks more than any other group. From this, our researchers made several recommendations including for all police vehicle stops to be recorded, to identify any racial disproportionality in their use and investigate links between vehicle stops and disproportionality in stop and search. This study has significantly influenced national policy and practice on racial disproportionality in the use of police powers.

Funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund, a cross-disciplinary team, including researchers from the University of Manchester, have improved Covid outcomes in Kenya’s slums. The project aimed to identify local knowledge and attitudes surrounding Covid and implement an effective public health campaign. All work on the ground was conducted by trained local field workers, in cooperation with community health volunteers, local officials and village elders, ensuring messages were communicated through trusted personnel with knowledge of the local area and language. The findings from the study highlighted that consistent and targeted health campaigns in informal settlements can facilitate compliance, engagement and understanding alongside ongoing public health campaigns.