Funded by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) was established by our Global Development Institute. In collaboration with international partners, the ACRC tackles complex problems in some of Africa’s fastest-growing urban areas. Working closely with local partners and NGOs over several years, the project integrates systems thinking with rigorous political analysis to help catalyse sustainable and inclusive urban development.

Led by the Manchester Urban Institute and Sustainable Consumption Institute, the ‘smart cities’ initiative is looking at ways to optimise urban services, including energy, transport and water, as cities become increasingly pressured by drivers of change. Cities are constantly evolving and so require new technology and increasing engagement from industry, government and citizens to stay ahead. We’re working with companies like Siemens, as a global ambassador, to train the next generation of engineers equipped to advance the connectivity, efficiency and sustainability of smart cities. True smart cities must engage their citizens, so we are collaborating with other leading institutions and public sector organisations across Europe as part of SMARTiP – a project funded by the European Commission to empower citizens to become active and involved in their cities.

The Sustainability Champions Programme is an opportunity for passionate students to take on an additional role alongside their degree programme to help promote sustainable change. Student champions are organised into teams based upon their personal interests in environmental sustainability. These subject areas include nature, travel and transport, energy and carbon, sustainable food, reuse and recycling and our hedgehog champions. In teams, our champions plan and deliver events to promote sustainability, for instance events focused on reducing the environmental impact of Halloween as a celebration, demonstrating how the Champions programme is a vital mechanism in embedding sustainable thinking through community engagement and social practice. 

Find out more here. 

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.

We have partnered with Friends of Medlock Valley, a local community group, to promote biodiversity in inner city Manchester. Home to thousands of trees and open grasslands, the Medlock Valley is one of the city’s wildest and most ignored spaces, with few signs of the state or local authorities such as bins, benches or signage. This project aims to bring the University’s expertise and resources to scale up the group’s initiatives, with a series of workshops on historical memory through soil and trees, an appraisal of its ecological assets by staff in Earth Sciences at the University, and a durable set of information boards, wayfinders and artistic installations to embed the partnership within the community for years to come. 

Manchester Museum has been named as a runner-up in Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024. The Museum received a prize of £15,000 as one of four runners-up, alongside Craven Museum, Dundee Contemporary Arts, National Portrait Gallery and Young V&A. 

Manchester Museum has been praised for the work it has done to collaborate with communities and foster a unique sense of belonging. The award-winning South Asia Gallery is co-curated with 30 people from the South Asian diaspora, and the Museum’s Top Floor has become a social and environmental justice hub, opening opportunities for educational and environmental charities to benefit from its collections, resources and research. 

The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester City Council and the British Heart Foundation are all working as a partnership to deliver our Give It, Don’t Bin It campaign. The campaign aims to help students donate their unwanted items to charity when moving property at the end of term.  

The University launched a reusable and sustainable cup scheme in collaboration with Manchester City Council and InOurNature. The reusable Bee Cup can be found in several hot drink locations across campus and on Oxford Road, encouraging our students and staff to sip sustainably wherever they go. The scheme aims to significantly reduce the number of single-use paper cups used at our campus café locations every year.