University of Manchester

Location

Manchester, United Kingdom

Tier

International

Known For

Graphene, Materials & Engineering

Overview

Graphene was first isolated at the University of Manchester, work that earned a Nobel Prize and led to the construction of dedicated national graphene research facilities on campus.

The university is large and broad, with substantial strength in materials, engineering, computing, and biomedical research.

Startup Ecosystem

Manchester is the largest technology centre in northern England, with a growing base in software, health technology, and advanced materials.

Costs are far below London, and regional development funding has been directed at commercialising university research.

Accelerators & Programs

Unit M and the university's innovation and enterprise services
National Graphene Institute and Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre
Masood Entrepreneurship Centre for student founders
Technology transfer through the university's IP company
Regional innovation funding across Greater Manchester

Founder Output

Spinouts concentrate in advanced materials and graphene applications, biotechnology, and health software.

The graphene facilities give materials founders access to characterisation and scale-up equipment that is genuinely scarce.

Local Investors

Northern England has a growing venture community supported by regional development funds and British Business Bank programmes.

London investors participate as companies scale, and materials companies often attract industrial strategic capital.

Explore the

GCN’s global network includes millions of startups and founders and a broad community of investors, creating opportunities to discover potential connections across university communities.

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