You may be forgiven for thinking that CBGxMCR, as it’s been dubbed, is the latest ‘collab’ to come out of the branding or creative sector. The moniker may be casual in nature, but this collaboration is anything but.
The Cambridge x Manchester Innovation Partnership – to give it its full title – is being billed as ‘pioneering’ and ‘groundbreaking’ and the first trans-UK innovation collaboration of its kind.
So what’s its purpose? According to Manchester University and Cambridge University, its aim is to ‘strengthen research networks, accelerate scale-up growth, drive private sector investment into research and development and attract new foreign direct investment’.
There’s serious money behind it too. The partnership has attracted £4.8 million from Research England, with the total being topped up to £6 million by the two universities. It’s also got more than just funding behind it. The CBGxMCR collaboration is being supported by two mayoral combined authorities, city councils, key businesses (such as AstraZeneca, ARM, ROKU, and Microsoft), venture capitalists (Northern Gritstone and CIC) and angel investors (Cambridge and Manchester angels).
It’s got real firepower and is quite rightly generating plenty of positive noise.
“By connecting our cities, we’re helping to build a more collaborative and dynamic environment in which innovative research can connect with industry, venture capital and entrepreneurs, to drive economic growth and deliver real benefits for people and places across the UK,” Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge explained at the launch.
While we’re no strangers to university collaborations, or the value that they can bring, this one has a slightly different look and feel. It’s being likened to the partnerships that have arisen from the USA’s North East corridor, Coastal California, and China’s Greater Bay Area – where it’s less about geographical proximity and more about the innovation capabilities that both cities (and the two universities) have.
What they achieve independently will be amplified to create ‘globally competitive connected ecosystems’.
Together, they hope to ‘fire-up innovation-led growth’, while providing insights to other cities, the wider higher education sector community, and local and national governments in the UK and internationally.
It’s highly ambitious. It’s hugely exciting. But what does it mean for Manchester, the wider region and the UK’s innovation ecosystem?
Accelerating research and commercialisation Both universities have world-leading life sciences research – Cambridge in genomics, biotech and precision medicine, Manchester in health data science, diagnostics and clinical trials. What this partnership will create is a pipeline from lab to market, enabling faster discoveries in therapies, diagnostics and digital health solutions.
What’s more, with support from industry giants like AstraZeneca and Microsoft, the collaboration is perfectly positioned to scale innovations and attract global investment.
Building a nationally connected health innovation ecosystem
What the Manchester University-Cambridge University tie up has the potential to do is link clinical, academic and commercial partners, to create a more joined-up infrastructure for life sciences innovation. Physical hubs in both cities will act as gateways for SMEs and startups, offering access to talent, funding and regulatory expertise. Ultimately, supporting regional specialisation, while enabling national collaboration and boosting the UK’s competitiveness in global health innovation.
Aligning with the government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan and NHS priorities
Only last week, the government produced its Life Sciences Sector Plan, which sets out a vision to drive growth, innovation and better health outcomes. The timing of the CBGxMCR partnership couldn’t be better. Along with the plan, it has all the ingredients to support the UK’s ambition to become the leading life sciences economy in Europe by 2030 and third globally by 2035. What’s more, it perfectly aligns with the plan’s three strategic pillars:
- World-class R&D: Leveraging Cambridge and Manchester’s combined research excellence to accelerate discovery.
- Scaling innovation: Creating an environment where biotech and health tech start-ups can grow into global players.
- Driving health innovation and NHS reform: Supporting faster clinical trials, digital transformation and preventative care – all key goals of the NHS Long Term Plan 2.
With over £2 billion in government funding and support from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the partnership is well-positioned to deliver real-world health impact, improve access to life-changing treatments and reduce set-up times for clinical trials.
Significant potential
The potential of this partnership cannot be overstated. The power of working together for a common goal is hugely significant and the ability of this partnership to strengthen research networks, by combining the strengths of both universities and cities, is a unique opportunity – something we wholeheartedly believe in and we see through the our work advising Northern Gritstone on investments into university spin-outs, as well a more broadly with our Manchester and Cambridge teams, who work together to connect the two cities from a tech and life sciences perspective.
This partnership approach fosters a more dynamic and collaborative environment – connections that are crucial for translating innovative ideas into practical applications, thereby accelerating the pace of discovery and innovation.
The proof of the pudding as they say is in the eating, but there is a genuine optimism in the region and the sector that by attracting private sector investment and foreign direct investment, the partnership will provide Manchester with the financial resources needed to support cutting-edge research and development. This influx of funding will not only boost the local economy but also create new job opportunities and support the growth of innovative businesses in the region.
There’s no doubt that this model of hyper-connected, place-to-place partnering will strengthen what each city can achieve independently, making Manchester and the wider North a key player in the global innovation landscape.
Vicky Protano is a corporate lawyer at Mills & Reeve, with a particular focus on life sciences and technology.
