Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has opened the School of Digital Arts (SODA), a new £35m facility at the Manchester Metropolitan University for students in the creative digital and tech sectors.
SODA provides a unique teaching and research environment that supports Manchester’s ambition to be a leading powerhouse of the UK’s digital economy.
It’s been delivered in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GM LEP).
Although SODA welcomed its first students in September, Monday was the first opportunity for business leaders, policymakers and creative practitioners to see the new building, and to take part in interactive demonstrations and installations that showcased work to date.
It brings together disciplines including animation, UX design, photography, sound design, gaming and AI, addressing the urgent and growing demand for skilled workers in the region’s creative and digital industries.
Boyle, who co-chairs its industry advisory group with award-winning producer Nicola Shindler, said: “Every city in the world will have one of these. There must be a place where the digital storytellers can gather and can share their skills and their need for knowledge with each other. And it’s in Manchester, which of course is the city I owe everything to, and it’s also a place that produces brilliant, independent minds.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, added: “We are committed to being a digital city-region that puts people at the heart of our plans as we work towards our ambitions to be recognised as a world leading digital city-region – SODA will be integral in achieving that.”
