Report of the Director of City Centre Growth and Infrastructure

This report provides an update on Innovation Greater Manchester.

The Committee considered the report of the Director of City Centre Growth and Infrastructure that provided an update on Innovation Greater Manchester – a business led platform that set out how a long-term strategy, underpinned by public and private investment, would unlock a globally leading innovation ecosystem that would spur on the discovery, invention, and adoption of new technologies and business models needed to raise productivity and competitiveness, and provide solutions for the city’s big societal challenges including net zero and reducing health inequalities.

Key points and themes in the report included:

·                Providing a background and describing progress to date; and

·                Providing a number of examples.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

·                Had any assessment been undertaken on whether the current LEP review posed any risks to Innovation GM;

·                Partnership working with the wider north west region should not be forgotten and what was the nature of the relationship between Manchester and the wider region;

·                Physical access to employment for residents, especially those in North Manchester, was important;

·                It was important that any employment opportunities around the Oxford Corridor did not detract from the existing opportunities located at the Centre of Scientific Research and Development at Hexagon Tower in North Manchester;

·                The regeneration of North Manchester needed to be wider than just the redevelopment of the North Manchester Hospital campus; and

·                An update on Green Hydrogen technology was requested.

The Leader emphasized that the inclusion of the redevelopment of North Manchester Hospital Campus within the programmes of work demonstrated that it complemented the other pieces of work aimed at driving up the standards of health care and that it also demonstrated that Innovation Greater Manchester was a city wide approach and not centered around one specific area of the city.  The Director of Inclusive Economy advised that North Manchester had been included as part of Health Innovation in Manchester's Data in Places programme, which would be submitted as part of the GM Innovation bid.  The focus for the North Manchester elements of the bid would be childhood obesity and frailty, with a view to using both quantitative and qualitative data on changing systems to tackle these two growing and prevalent population health issues.  The new approaches would make a difference to health outcomes in North Manchester and provide opportunities for commercialisation /creation of new businesses and jobs to deliver solutions internationally.. She described that this would also commercialise health opportunities that was bespoke and distinct from the Oxford Road corridor.

In regard to the LEP review, it was commented that Manchester had an established and proven track record of working closely with local business leaders and that those relationships would continue. It was explained that the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute and the Sustainable Materials Translational Research Centre that were being progressed for the Rochdale-Bury Gateway North site, would leverage Manchester’s global reputation in materials science, to create at-scale assets and services to embed new net zero materials in to manufacturing processes in businesses across the wider conurbation.

Officers further commented that the innovation in relation to green hydrogen and energy that had been developed at Manchester Metropolitan University was pioneering research. This project had now made the case for a larger facility in Manchester and the wider city region to build upon its success, noting the importance of this technology in the drive to net zero. 

It was stated that the anticipated investment of circa £200m across Greater Manchester would facilitate the translation of innovation into jobs and skills.  Discussions were ongoing with not only local neighbouring authorities, within the North West but also, other cities and city regions to explore and discuss shared opportunities. The Committee was also advised that conversations were being had with other European cities to share lessons learnt. It was further commented that the plans associated with North Manchester were not intended to displace skills from other areas but rather attract new and international opportunities and investment in the area.

The Chair commented that it was important that all resulting skills and employment opportunities were promoted and accessible to all residents across the city. Officers responded by advising that this was an important point and was fully understood.

Decision

The Committee note the report.