Manchester’s new £1.7bn billion innovation district is no longer ID Manchester, but Sister.
The joint venture between The University of Manchester and Bruntwood SciTech transforms the university’s North campus into a 4 million square foot science and technology innovation district.
It is predicted to generate over 10,000 full-time jobs on site and contribute around £1.5bn to the regional economy every year.
Sister will specialise in advancing innovation across digital tech, health innovation, biotechnology, advanced materials and manufacturing.
It will also provide more than 1500 new homes, alongside over 2 million sq ft of commercial, innovation, retail and leisure space. Within 9 acres of public realm space.
The big question, of course, is why have they chosen Sister as the name?
Well according to the media release:
“Sister, represents the close bond between industry and academia and expresses an ethos of collaboration, openness and the use of knowledge to solve problems. It builds on the heritage of the former academic campus, once home to the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), and represents a vision to create an ecosystem of like-minded companies, institutions, districts and cities to drive innovation forward and help tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges.”
Here’s Bradley Topps, Project Director, Sister and Chief Commercial Officer, Bruntwood SciTech to explained further:
“Sister is founded on the belief that it takes a community to raise an idea and that although ideas may appear in a single mind, they flourish when people come together. This new district marks a new chapter in Manchester’s history of science and innovation. Over the next 15 years, we’re dedicated to developing an inclusive space that connects talent, investment, education and enterprise, providing the perfect conditions for ideas to spark, collaboration to flourish, and world-changing innovations to scale.”
Okay then. It certainly means journalists will have to take extra care in their phrasing.
Sister is set to be delivered over the next 15 years and today it has also announced the opening of its first site, the Renold Building and its first customer, Sustainable Ventures, which will move in, in November.
“We’re thrilled to grow Sustainable Ventures’ footprint in the UK by establishing a presence in Sister, at the heart of the UK’s second-largest tech ecosystem,” said CEO of Sustainable Ventures, Andrew Wordsworth.
“This partnership empowers us to supercharge climate tech innovation across The North, bringing workspace, investment and a wealth of expertise to the region’s pioneering startups and entrepreneurs. The climate tech companies we’ve supported to date have already created over 6,000 jobs and we hope to replicate that economic growth within the region over the next few years.”
John Holden, Associate Vice-President, The University of Manchester and Executive Committee Member, Sister, added:
“The opening of the Renold Building is a major milestone in the development of Sister, capitalising on the University of Manchester’s research, innovation and education capabilities to catalyse the growth of successful science and technology start-ups,”
“Sister will be home to some of the most exciting businesses in the UK developing solutions to help tackle society’s biggest challenges. We’re excited to open the doors to a vibrant new innovation district that will drive growth for ambitious start-ups and scale-ups, attract new science and technology companies to Manchester, and create new opportunities for our staff, students and local communities.”
