The Centre for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy (CIRCLE) UK team will be led by Dr , Reader is Sustainable Biotechnology at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, alongside a team of international academics. Also part of the project are Professors and , and Drs , and Micaela Chacon.

CIRCLE aims to address the global challenge of anthropogenic waste by closing the loop and using it as a feedstock for the chemicals industry. Much of the waste produced by society is a rich source of carbon, a building block for many important chemicals and materials found in everyday products such as plastics, personal care products, and pharmaceuticals. CIRCLE will identify and employ novel biotechnological processes to break down this waste into its chemical components and avoid the need for virgin petrochemical feedstocks.

This project will bring together academic expertise from across the globe, including the US, Canada and South Korea.

The 2024 Global Centres awards focus on advancing bioeconomy research to solve global challenges, whether by increasing crop resilience, converting plant matter or other biomass into fuel, or paving the way for biofoundries to scale-up applications of biotechnology for societal benefit.  The programme supports holistic, multidisciplinary projects that bring together international teams and scientific disciplines, including education and social sciences, necessary to achieve use-inspired outcomes. All Global Centres will integrate public engagement and workforce development, paying close attention to impacts on communities.

“Alongside replacing fossil fuels, there is an urgent need to replace petrochemical industrial feedstocks across a wide range of sectors. This is a global challenge that requires global solutions and UKRI is delighted to be partnering in the NSF Global Centres 2024 programme to meet this need”, said UKRI CEO, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser. “The announcement today will be at the forefront of real-world solutions, from improved recycling to new bioplastics, building a sustainable circular economy. The centres will create the global networks and skills needed to drive a thriving bioeconomy benefitting all.”

The centre has been awarded £1.2m through an International Centre to Centre grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences ����Ӱ�� Council, part of UK ����Ӱ�� and Innovation. Led by Professor , Interim Director of the MIB, along with Professor and Dr , and in partnership with Professor David Baker from the Institute of Protein Design (IPD) at the University of Washington, ICED will employ the latest deep-learning protein design tools to accelerate the development of new biocatalysts for use across the chemical industry. The centre will deliver customised biocatalysts for sustainable production of a wide range of chemicals and biologics, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, materials, commodity chemicals and advanced synthetic fuels.

Biocatalysis uses natural or engineered enzymes to speed up valuable chemical processes. This technology is now widely recognised as a key enabling technology for developing a greener and more efficient chemical industry. Although powerful, existing experimental methods for developing industrial biocatalysts are costly and time-consuming, and this restricts the potential impact of biocatalysis on many industrial processes. Furthermore, for many desirable chemical transformations there are no known enzymes that can serve as starting templates for experimental engineering. In ICED we will bring together leading computational and experimental teams from across academia and industry to bring about a step-change in the speed of biocatalyst development. The approaches developed will also allow the development of new families of enzymes with catalytic functions that are unknown in nature.

Professor David Baker, lead researcher from the Institute of Protein Design says; “Accurately designing efficient enzymes with new catalytic functions is one of the grand challenges for the protein design field. We are thrilled to be working with Professor Green and his team in the MIB to address this crucial biotechnological challenge.’’

The design tools developed throughout the project will be readily available to specialists and non-specialists to support their own enzyme engineering and biocatalysis needs. As the centre develops, we expect to grow our partnerships with the wider academic and industrial sector to ensure that we can best serve the needs and ambitions of the global biocatalysis community.

With the chemical and pharmaceutical industries contributing £30.7bn to the UK economy alone, technologies like biocatalysis are poised to revolutionise how every day, essential products are made while also benefitting our health and our environment.

The project leverages a £5 million investment from the ’s Place-Based Impact Acceleration Account to stimulate innovation and commercial growth. The IBIC will give businesses and start-ups a platform to engage with higher education institutions, governmental organisations and researchers in the north-west, and support translating fundamental biotechnology research from the lab to the real world.   

The IBIC launches at a significant time for the UK’s biotechnology market. The UK Government’s on biotechnology and signal increasing interest in the sector, which was valued at £21.8billion in 2023, according to IBISWorld.

Professor Aline Miller, Professor of Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Dean for Business Engagement and Innovation at The University of Manchester, said: "Combine academic research with industrial application, and together we can yield transformative outcomes for both our economy and environment.

“With the launch of the IBIC, we are inviting businesses and startups to join us as we take on global challenges like climate change and sustainability. To do that, we need to create a vibrant ecosystem of interconnected disciplines to help scale businesses, bring research to life and ultimately deliver huge economic benefits to the north-west and beyond.”

This invitation extends particularly to SMEs, high-growth biotech companies, and other businesses interested in contributing to and benefiting from a thriving biotechnology industry in the north-west.

Companies interested in participating or learning more about the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst can contact the IBIC team at ibic@manchester.ac.uk for more information and to discuss potential collaboration and partnership opportunities.

‘Tales From The Past’, created in partnership with Manchester’s leading independent brewery Cloudwater Brew Co, celebrates the University’s 200th anniversary and will be launched at its bicentenary festival, where it will be available to buy from the festival bar.

Supported by a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant, The University of Manchester team crossed Saccharomyces jurei, a new species of yeast discovered by Delneri in 2017, with a common ale yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisae, to produce a new starter hybrid strain that enhances the aroma and flavour of the beer.

This new hybrid has several advantages over similar brewing yeasts; it has the ability to thrive at lower temperatures, adds a different flavour profile, and is able to ferment maltose and maltotriose, two abundant sugars present in the wort. These capabilities provide a range of new opportunities for brewers, with the potential for a multitude of hybrids with different fermentation characteristics.

Paul Jones, CEO of Cloudwater Brew Co, said; “It is exciting to be able to brew a beer with a brand new species of yeast and to explore the range of flavours we can create. This beer represents the possibilities of joining academia with industry and we are lucky to have access to this fount of knowledge right on our doorstep.”

The University team has also been developing new hybridisation techniques. Typically, yeast hybrids grow by budding, where a new cell grows from an original ‘parent’, but they are sterile. Now, using a genetic method which doubles the content of the hybrid genome, researchers have overcome infertility allowing the creation of future hybrid generations with diverse traits. These offspring can then be screened for desirable biotechnological characteristics, allowing the team to select and combine beneficial traits from different yeast species using multigenerational breeding.

As yeasts play a major role in many industrial biotechnology applications, different hybrids bred in this way pave the way for creating bespoke microbial factories that can be used to create sustainable products.

As well as their familiar roles in brewing and baking, scientists use yeasts as model organisms to study how cells work. This role has placed them at the forefront of engineering biology, an emerging area of science that seeks to use nature’s own biological mechanisms to replace current, unsustainable industrial processes. As a result, the team’s novel yeast could lead to future breakthroughs in new, green pharmaceuticals and more sustainable fuels.

To launch the beer and share more about her pioneering work, Professor Delneri will give a talk at the Universally Manchester festival on Friday 7 June at 5.45pm. Tickets can be

The bid was delivered by a coordination team, which includes and from the University and has secured £49.35m from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund to establish C-MASS - a national hub-and-spoke infrastructure designed to integrate and advance the country’s capability in mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry is a central analytical technique that quantifies and identifies molecules by measuring their mass and charge. It is used across science and medicine, for drug discovery, to screen all newborn babies for the presence of metabolic disorders, to monitor pollution and to tell us what compounds are in the tails of comets.

����Ӱ��ers at The University of Manchester develop and apply mass spectrometry in many of its research centres and institutes, including the , the , , , the , and the

C-MASS will enable rapid methodological advances, by developing consensus protocols to allow population level screening of health markers and accelerated data access and sharing. It will bring together cutting-edge instrumentation at a range of laboratories connected by a coordinating central hub that will manage a central metadata catalogue. Together, this will provide unparalleled signposting of data and will be a critical measurement science resource for the UK.

The bid for the funding has been developed over the last 10 years and has included input and support from more than 40 higher education institutes, 35 industrial partners and numerous research institutes.

Manchester is renowned for its expertise in mass spectrometry. J.J. Thomson, who was an alumnus of The University of Manchester, built the first mass spectrometer - originally called a parabola spectrograph - in 1912. Later, another alumnus, James Chadwick, commissioned the first commercial mass spectrometer, built by the Manchester firm Metropolitan Vickers, for use in the second world war to separate radioactive isotopes.

Now, many decades later, the University receives more funding in mass spectrometry than any other higher education institution in the UK and more mass spectrometers are made in the Manchester region than any other in Europe.

At the University, researchers across a range of disciplines including , , use mass spectrometry for wide range of world-leading research. Just some of those projects include: , improving the testing and diagnosis of womb cancer, improving our understanding of Huntington’s disease and rheumatic heart disease, diagnosing Parkinson’s disease and finding treatments for blindness.

The mass spectrometry laboratories at the University boast a range of industry-leading instrumentations, not just for staff and students, but also collaborating with many external companies. 

The awards celebrate outstanding women post-doctoral scientists, and forms part of the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science UK & Ireland Rising Talent Programme, which offers awards to promote, enhance and encourage the contribution of women pursuing their scientific research careers in the UK or Ireland.

Dr Swidah, a postdoctoral researcher at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, was one of five winners at the award at a ceremony at the House of Commons in London on Monday, 18 March.

Other winners were awarded in the categories of engineering, life sciences, mathematics and computing and physical science.

Reem said: “I am honoured to announce that I have been awarded the prestigious L'Oréal UNESCO Award for Women in Science in the category of Sustainable Development.  

“These awards are vital for supporting and celebrating women in science, offering recognition and inspiration. It provides financial research support, fosters networking and collaboration among recipients, and contributes to reducing gender disparities in STEM fields. By highlighting the achievements of women scientists, the award inspires future generations and advocates for gender equality in science.

“Programs like L'Oréal UNESCO  for women in science are critically important, providing vital recognition and support for women scientists while challenging prevailing stereotypes and biases.  Believe in yourself, defy stereotypes, continuously enhance your professional skills, and persist in pursuing your dreams. If opportunities don't come your way, create your own path. Seek mentors, embrace learning, take risks, step out of your comfort zone, and surround yourself with supportive peers. Remember, diversity in STEM drives progress and innovation.

“This award will enable me to balance motherhood and research while gaining the necessary support to make a meaningful impact in my field.”

Reem received a £25,000 grant that is fully flexible and tenable at any UK or Irish university or research institute to support 12 months of research. Her work currently focuses on the genome minimization project (part of the Sc3.0 project initiative), focusing on genome minimization within the synthetic yeast strain (Sc2.0).

Reem was selected for the award for her drive and ambition to leverage her skills in synthetic biology to address global challenges and her work to harness the exceptional evolutionary abilities of synthetic yeast strains to develop innovative and cost-effective technologies to produce biofuels.

She believes that these advancements hold the potential to combat climate change and play a pivotal role in achieving the ambitious goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050, a key strategic objective of The University of Manchester.

She added: “This award will enhance childcare support for my baby and will afford me the time and financial resources to develop my professional skills. I intend to engage in one-to-one career coaching programs and leadership training, which will help me unlock my full potential and excel in my role, which I currently cannot do.

“The grant will also enable me to attend international conferences, where I can engage with scientists and stay updated on global challenges and solutions and it will help me to enhance my research independence by using the grant to purchase small equipment and to conduct essential experiments to boost my research objectives.”

The Women in Science National Rising Talents  is run in partnership between L’Oréal UK and Ireland, the UK National Commission for UNESCO and the Irish National Commission for UNESCO, with the support of the Royal Society.

Thierry Cheval, L'Oréal UK and Ireland, Managing Director said: “As a company founded by a scientist over 100 years ago, L’Oréal, together with UNESCO, is committed to driving gender equality in STEM and recognising the exceptional work of female scientists who are vitally contributing to solving the challenges of tomorrow.

“Congratulations to this year’s Fellows who are a true inspiration for generations to come.”

Professor Anne Anderson, Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO's Board of Directors, added: “Congratulations to the 2024 Rising Talents. As we stand at a pivotal moment in time for scientific advancement, UNESCO continues to highlight the importance of true gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the vital role women play in a more equitable scientific society.

“The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO is proud to support these young women in STEM from the UK & Ireland and celebrate their achievements as researchers paving the way for a brighter global future.”

Manchester is the recipient of five awards, including:

• , Senior Lecturer in Chemical Biology and Biological Chemistry of the , and , Professor of Polymer Science at the Henry Royce Institute, who are a Co-Investigators on a Mission Hub led by the University of Portsmouth. The mission Hub is looking into how engineering biology can tackle plastic waste.
• , Professor of Geomicrobiology, from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is involved in a Mission Hub led by the University of Kent, and also leads a Mission Award, both of which will be looking at ways to use engineering biology to process metals, including for bioremediation and for metal recovery from industrial waste streams.
• , , and of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, received a Mission Award for a project that will engineer biological systems to enable economical production of functionalised proteins including biopharmaceuticals and industrial biocatalysts.
• , Chair in Evolutionary Biology, from the Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, and Professor Patrick Cai of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, are looking into engineering phages with intrinsic biocontainment to develop new treatments against drug-resistant bacterial infections.

The hubs are funded for five years through UKRI and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences ����Ӱ�� Council (BBSRC) and are a collaboration between academic institutions and industrial partners. The Mission Award Projects are funded for two years. These projects will expand upon our current knowledge of engineering biology and capitalise on emerging opportunities.

Announcing the funding the Science, ����Ӱ�� and Innovation Minister, Andrew Griffith, said: “Engineering biology has the power to transform our health and environment, from developing life-saving medicines to protecting our environment and food supply and beyond.

“Our latest £100m investment through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund will unlock projects as diverse as developing vaccines…preventing food waste through disease resistant crops, reducing plastic pollution, and even driving efforts to treat snakebites.

“With new Hubs and Mission Awards spread across the country, from Edinburgh to Portsmouth, we are supporting ambitious researchers and innovators around the UK in pioneering groundbreaking new solutions which can transform how we live our lives, while growing our economy.”

Engineering biology has the potential to tackle a diverse range of global challenges, driving economic growth in the UK and around the world, as well as increase national security, resilience and preparedness.  The University of Manchester has a broad range of expertise in engineering biology across its three Faculties and is also home to the international centre of excellence, the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology.

In Dr Stefan Hoffmann, lead author on the paper, and have found that by adding an estradiol-controlled destabilising domain degron (ERdd) to the genetic makeup of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), they can control survival of the organism.

Destabilising domain (DD) degrons are an element of a protein that allow for degradation, unless a particular ligand – a small molecule that binds with the DD degron – is present to stabilise it. The researchers engineered the yeast to degrade proteins essential for life unless estradiol, a type of oestrogen, was present. Without estradiol, the yeast would die.

This new genetic containment technique differs from previous techniques in that it directly targets essential proteins. It has no detrimental effects on organism function, even when compared with the wild-type organism and it remains an active part of the genome, even after 100 generations.

To achieve this, the researchers tagged 775 essential genes with the ERdd tag and screened the resulting organisms for estradiol-dependent growth. Through this screening, they identified three genes, SPC110, DIS3, and RRP46 as suitable targets. The modified yeast grew well in the presence of estradiol and failed to thrive in its absence.

Professor Patrick Cai, Chair in Synthetic Genomics, said: “Safety mechanisms are instrumental for the deployment of emerging technologies such as engineering biology. The development of biocontainment systems will effectively minimize the risk associated with the emerging technologies, and to protect both the researchers and the wider community. It also provides a novel solution to combat intellectual espionage to safeguard our ever-growing bio-economy. This work is a great example of the responsible innovation of MIB research.”

Engineering biology is a relatively new, but expanding field of science that allows industry to use microorganisms, such as yeasts and bacteria, to produce value-added chemicals cheaply and efficiently. However, as microorganisms are often genetically engineered to increase efficacy, it becomes a problem if the organisms escape into the natural environment.

To ensure modified organisms do not find their way out of an laboratory setting, the NIH sets strict escape rate thresholds. Currently, most genetic safeguards rely on one of two methodologies to keep within the guidelines: either by engineering in an auxotrophy, whereby the organism relies on a specific metabolite to be present in its environment to survive, or a “suicide” gene, where the organism itself produces a toxin that kills it if certain conditions are not met.  

While these methods are generally genetically stable and effective enough to meet the NIH guidelines, they do have caveats to their efficacy. In the case of relying on a metabolite to sustain the organism, this metabolite may also be found in the wild and could not ensure the organism does not survive if it escapes. For “suicide” genes, as this is a direct threat to the organism, over generations the gene can selectively mutate and become inactive rendering it an ineffective control.

The new biocontainment method described by Hoffmann and Cai could be used in conjunction with the existing methods to bolster their effectiveness and deliver an even more robust escape frequency. Even if used as the sole biocontainment method, it provides an escape frequency of <2x10^-10 which far exceeds the NIH guideline of an escape rate of less than 10^-8.  

The Sustainable Commodity Chemicals through Enzyme Engineering and Design (SuCCEED) project will look to find new ways of manufacturing the chemicals needed for many every-day products through industrial biotechnology routes. By doing this, it will help the chemical manufacturing industry move away from fossil-based feedstocks and reduce their carbon footprint. 

Bio-based manufacturing routes are not currently widespread as they are difficult to scale up and don’t operate at the profit margins required for commodity chemicals. This poses a barrier to moving the chemicals industry away from petrochemicals and creating a greener industry. 

To help address this, the Prosperity Partnerships bring together industry and academia to find workable solutions to industry-based problems. The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) and Shell have assembled an interdisciplinary team, led by , of biochemists, protein engineers, synthetic biologists, chemists, and chemical engineers to create a proof-of-principle, scalable, biorefinery. 

If successful, this 5-year project could help reshape the chemicals industry and support the UK delivering on its clean growth strategy.

Jeremy Shears, Chief Scientist for Biosciences at Shell said: “Shell aims to transition to a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 and our work with the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology is important to unlock a more commercial route to sustainably produced chemicals. If we can demonstrate an effective route to bio-production, we hope this will be the catalyst for industrial change across the sector.”

Science, ����Ӱ�� and Innovation Minister, Andrew Griffith, said:

“Our new bioscience prosperity partnerships are a valuable opportunity for government, business and academia to come together and help unleash world-class, pioneering discoveries across the UK while growing our local economies.

“More than £17m of Government funding is backing vital projects including work in Belfast to unearth life-saving drugs, in Manchester to improve skin health research and in Cambridge to tackle a major source of global pollution – enhancing the health and wellbeing of people across our country and beyond.”

Dr Lee Beniston FRSB, Associate Director for Industry Partnerships and Collaborative R&D at BBSRC, said:

“The inaugural round of the BBSRC prosperity partnerships programme has been a huge success. Led by BBSRC, with investment from our colleagues at MRC and EPSRC, we will invest more than £17 million in ten projects.

“This investment will support outstanding, long-term collaborative partnerships between businesses and academic researchers across the UK. Through the BBSRC prosperity partnerships programme, the businesses involved are investing over £21 million into research and development.

“The projects supported will deliver on UK ambitions for private sector investment in research and innovation as outlined in the Science and Technology Framework, helping to drive economic growth and societal impact through key bioscience and biotechnology sectors and industries.”

Industrial biotechnology uses nature’s own processes to produce value-added products, it is currently used to produce high-value chemicals such as pharmaceuticals. Enzymes and bacteria are the staple workhorses of biocatalysis – a process that speeds up chemical reactions – and can produce target chemicals by using anything from biomass to anthropogenic waste as a feedstock. Industrial biotechnology holds huge potential for creating a sustainable manufacturing environment and supporting the world’s transition to net zero.

The University was also successful in securing a second Prosperity Partnership with Boots, and co-leading a third with University College London.

MOOCs were set up in the mid-2000s to offer learning opportunities to distance learners. Since their inception they have brought education to thousands around the world, usually for free or at a low cost compared with traditional degrees. They have been credited with helping democratise higher education (HE) especially for those in developing nations by offering them a way to receive education from universities around the world, in a way and at a time that suits them.

The industrial biotechnology MOOC was designed and coordinated by Lesley-Ann Miller and Dr. Nicholas Weise from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, drawing together expertise from the University, and beyond, through a selection of contributors. The modules, which are all freely available worldwide to anyone with an internet connection, covers topics such as enzyme catalysis, synthetic biology, biochemical engineering, pharmaceutical synthesis, biomaterials, bioenergy and glycobiotechnology.  

The course exemplifies how industrial biotechnology can be used by society to meet global net zero goals and create more sustainable routes to manufacture of everyday products, as well as specialist chemicals used by industry. Since the Industrial Revolution, society has relied upon fossil fuels to provide the raw materials for many everyday products including pharmaceuticals, food and drink, materials, plastics, and personal care products.

With government targets drawing closer, industry must find new ways to manufacture these products without relying on finite resources. Industrial biotechnology offers a way for industry to adapt and change to meet these targets while still being able to produce high-quality and high-yielding products with a smaller impact on the environment.

Course instructors, Prof. Nicholas Turner, Dr. Nicholas Weise and Prof. Nigel Scruton, are delighted that the course has been used by hundreds of thousands as a way to access knowledge of sustainable bio-inspired technologies. The course is designed to help those looking to enter the field of biotechnology, upskill or even retrain to help solve technological challenges in their own areas. The course has received an average rating of 4.7/5.0 with learner stories such as:

Open dissemination of expertise from the University that can be used to solve global challenges is an important part of the research impact and social responsibility agenda for the university. The course has already received a recognition for its innovative practices in teaching and learning from the LearnSci Teaching Innovation Awards, a Teaching Excellence Award from the Institute of Teaching & Learning as well as being highly commended at the Making A Difference Awards for outstanding teaching innovation in social responsibility. 

IBIC is a collaborative initiative, led by The University of Manchester, aimed at harnessing the region's scientific and research expertise to accelerate knowledge exchange, impact, and innovation, while fostering a more productive, research-intensive economy and promoting sustainability.

Industrial Biotechnology is a multi-disciplinary field that utilises biological resources for everyday product development, including food, fuels, and medicines. It is poised for significant growth with a market potential exceeding £34 billion in the UK alone. The confluence of consumer demand, carbon emission targets, and technological advancements requires new approaches to manufacturing, especially using methods that are divested of petrochemical feedstocks, and industrial biotechnology offers the solutions.

Together with the Universities of Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan, Bolton and Salford, The University of Manchester will lead a consortium of academia and industry and create a cohesive ecosystem for IB innovation. The new £5million EPSRC Place-Based Impact Acceleration Account (PBIAA) builds on an existing critical mass of IB expertise in the north-west including the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology’s pioneering work (recognised by a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019), major healthcare and biomanufacturing companies like AstraZeneca, Teva, Croda, and Unilever. As well as thriving SME innovation zones, including Daresbury, Liverpool Knowledge Quarter, and Alderley Park, the UK's largest life science campus. 

Professor Miles Padgett, Interim Executive Chair at EPSRC, said:

“I’m pleased to announce our first ten Place Based Impact Acceleration Accounts which will play a unique role in enhancing the capabilities of innovation clusters across the UK. A key priority for UKRI is to strengthen clusters and partnerships in collaboration with civic bodies and businesses, thereby driving regional economic growth.”

Science Minister, George Freeman, said: “Biotechnology delivers for our health, planet, prosperity and beyond and by targeting the North-West through our £41m place-based investment, we can build on the region’s thriving innovation cluster and better integrate the UK’s renowned research activity.

“Our investment will also create hundreds of new jobs, projects and businesses that will in turn drive investment to the region to grow the local and wider UK economy.”

Professor Claire Eyers, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for ����Ӱ�� and Impact in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool, said: “The University of Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive higher education institutions. We pride ourselves in having a long history of working with a variety of organisations and this collaboration allows for the further application of our world-class research to solve real-world challenges.

We very much look forward to working with our regional partners to combine knowledge and expertise and create meaningful and lasting impact for a thriving north-west innovation ecosystem.”

Dr Damian Kelly, Vice President – Innovation & Technology Development at Croda is fully supportive of the initiative: “At Croda we are committed to be climate, land and people positive by 2030. We work to identify functional materials that can be manufactured from widely available, non-fossil materials while also developing low emission processing.  We are looking forward to being an active member of the IBIC ecosystem and engaging with the collaborative mechanisms.”

The launch of IBIC is expected to stimulate significant investments, create numerous job opportunities, foster collaborative projects, and drive economic growth across the region. Building upon the region’s current credentials of a workforce of 25,000 people and a more than £6 billion turnover each year, the cluster is predicted to directly stimulate £2.5M cash and £4M in-kind co-investment, establish 150 collaborative projects, train 200+ students, create up to 100 green jobs, and establish 20+ new commercial ventures which could attract a further £10M in investment. This would see the cluster delivering a minimum 3:1 economic return on public investment over the medium term, with long-term plans to become an independent, business-led cluster of excellence.

For more information about IBIC and its initiatives, contact Professor Miller via email: aline.miller@manchester.ac.uk.