Our final newsletter of 2025 is filled with news that sees the year out on a high.
The announcement of the £1bn Good Growth Fund by GMCA lays the foundation for our city region’s second decade of devolution – an ambition for inclusive growth that ensures all 10 boroughs benefit, with a focus on place regeneration and five frontier sectors.
We welcomed American financial giant S&P Global to the city with the opening of its Manchester office creating 200 jobs and affirming our reputation as the UK’s leading regional hub for finance. No.1 St. Michael’s has officially opened; one of the best office developments in the UK, it achieved full occupancy prior to completion. Manchester is open for business.
It’s great to see spades in the ground for major research and innovation centres across life sciences and digital and tech in Greater Manchester. Construction has begun on the Plus Ultra Manchester research and innovation site in the Oxford Road Corridor and the University of Salford’s Acoustics Building, part of Crescent Innovation.
A busy month for international visits too as we welcomed the Governor of Hubei Province to enhance cooperation between our regions, and a delegation from its capital city, Wuhan, which explored trade and investment opportunities.
Wishing you all the best for the festive season.
The biggest news from Manchester this month…
- Greater Manchester £1bn Good Growth Fund Announced
- St. Michael’s: Flagship Office Building Opens
- GM Life Sciences Businesses Join Ireland Trade Mission
US Investment Powers Nearly 800 New Jobs Across Greater Manchester
New data reveals Greater Manchester has seen £42.6 million of American investment and 795 new jobs from 11 US companies in the last 12 months. Accounting for 27%* of all foreign direct investment into the city region, the commitments come from companies including S&P Global, Fitch Global, Mark43, Greentec Auto and Boom Inc. Technologies UK Ltd (7mm Holdings company). Facilitated by MIDAS, the investments span Advanced Manufacturing and Low Carbon, Financial, Professional and Business Services, Creative, Digital and Tech, and Life Sciences.
Discover the full scale of US investment
US Financial Giant S&P Global Opens Manchester Office
Manchester’s status as the UK’s largest Financial, Professional, and Business Services hub outside London has been further confirmed with the opening of S&P Global’s new office at No.1 St Michael’s in Manchester. The expansion forms part of a £4 million investment supporting more than 200 jobs across technology, operations, and customer success functions. The company’s Manchester-based Global Market Intelligence teams support critical functions including Technology, Operations, Customer Success, Finance, Marketing, and Talent Acquisition.
Learn more about S&P’s Manchester growth
World’s Largest Commercial Liquid Air Energy Storage Facility Breaks Ground in Carrington
Work has begun on the world’s largest commercial-scale liquid air energy storage plant at Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park near Carrington by Highview, a global leader in long duration energy storage solutions. The plant will deliver 300 MWh of storage and an output of 50 MW for six hours, enough clean, renewable energy to serve 480,000 homes. Its stability island, designed to stabilise the local grid, will ensure energy security against outages and blackouts.
More on Highview’s capabilities
Did you know?
Oldham General Hospital Played a Key Role in IVF
One of the world’s most remarkable medical breakthroughs had a key moment in Oldham. The world’s first ‘test tube baby’ came into being at Oldham General Hospital (now Royal Oldham Hospital). In a landmark moment for reproductive health and history, an embryo in a petri dish was transferred to Lesley Brown on November 10, 1977. Her successful pregnancy gave Lesley her much longed for daughter Louise, and millions of couples after her the joy of parenthood with the help of IVF.
Forthcoming Events
- CONEXEN Manchester @ Manchester, UK 9 December
- Pioneers’ Innovation Forum @Rochdale, UK 28 January
- Tech Arena @Stockholm, Sweden 11-12 February
- Hett Leaders’ Summit @Leeds, UK 12 February
- BioAsia 2026 @Hyderabad, India 19-21 February
- Nasscom Technology & Leadership Forum @Mumbai, India, 24-25 February
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