Innovate UK has awarded almost £1m to support innovative Greater Manchester businesses working in the creative sector.
MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub (MITIH) will receive the new funding to foster further collaboration between start-ups and scale-ups, research institutions and the local government.
“MITIH’s success in revitalising the innovation ecosystem at MediaCity and supporting creative businesses across the city region exemplifies true collaboration and proves the power of devolution,” stated Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Greater Manchester.
“I welcome the confidence the Government has placed in us through this extension and look forward to working with businesses, and local and national Government colleagues, to shape a robust Industrial Strategy that reflects the importance of the creative and cultural industries, not only for Salford and Greater Manchester, but for the whole of the north of England.”
MITIH was established in 2023 with the aim of rejuvenating the region’s innovation ecosystem through collaboration, co-investment, and partnerships to provide innovators and businesses with access to expertise, funding and state-of-the-art technologies and facilities.
To date, MITIH says it has engaged and supported over 250 businesses and channelled more than £1million into 26 innovative projects, employing 99 staff and 77 subcontractors.
“This new investment in the MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub is a significant step forward for Greater Manchester’s innovation ecosystem. By fostering collaboration in this way, we are creating a dynamic environment where cutting edge ideas can thrive,” added Professor Simon Green, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Salford.
“The funding will provide vital support to innovators, start-ups and scale-ups, ensuring they have access to the expertise, resources and technologies needed to drive economic growth and technological advancement in the region. As an institution, we are proud to play our role in this and look forward to seeing the impact it will have on the future of innovation in Greater Manchester.”
The cash is part of a £30m funding extension of Innovate UK’s Innovation Accelerator (IA) programme, which focuses on locally-led innovation to drive economic growth and technological advancement in three key regions – Greater Manchester, Glasgow City Region and the West Midlands.
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“The new funding will allow us to continue to support entrepreneurs and innovators and grow our creative economy. We’ve already worked with hundreds of creative and digital businesses to connect them with fellow professionals, test and develop their ideas and to bring their innovations to market,” explained Anthony Hatton, MITIH Programme Director, The Landing at MediaCityUK.
“We aim to increase our impact by leveraging local assets and national programmes, such those delivered by the CoSTAR and Creative UK Enterprise teams, to offer local businesses the technical and research expertise and access to state-of-the-art facilities at MediaCity and across Greater Manchester to maximise their economic opportunities.”
MITIH said that it planned to assist 40 more businesses over the next 12 months, with the aim of “fast-tracking” their innovative ideas tailored support and collaborations.
