Powering Advanced Materials Innovation

Manchester is home to an ambitious community of experts and with graphene – a material first isolated here in 2004 – and other advanced materials right at the fingertips of some of the city-region’s brightest minds, there is tangible evidence to suggest that these substances have the power to transform the health of people and our planet.

The centre of the Industrial Revolution and home to a plethora of world leading R&D institutes - including The University of Mancheser where graphene was first isolated - with over £300million invested into a graphene and advanced materials discovery and adoption eco-system, Manchester offers businesses a real opportunity to collaborate with academia to bring new ideas to life.

From intelligent soil in vertical farming, graphene-based biosensors for virus testing, and the first graphene  3D printing portal; all the way through to graphene-enhanced concrete and space habitats – there is no end to what could be achieved with advanced materials in Manchester on our journey to Net Zero.

If you would like to watch the Material Gains - Building Better Cities for People and Planet webinar that took place in April 2021, where experts took a look at what Greater Manchester could look like in 2038 with the implementation of advanced materials and innovation. Click here.

To find out lots more about the different ways in which graphene and other advanced materials are being applied, please fill out the below form to download a copy of the report: ‘Material Gains: Building Better Cities for People and the Planet’ which was produced by the Greater Manchester LEP in partnership with MIDAS and The University of Manchester.

Key Sectors

Manchester's breadth and depth of expertise enables cross-industry opportunities for collaboration and a world-class offer for the international investor.

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Net zero

Manchester offers access to world-leading research facilities, state-of-the-art…