On March 25th, 2019, the Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship course conducted a trip to the Manchester Science Park (MSP). Little that I knew, that it is not merely about one particular building that we mostly visit for entrepreneurial workshops or events, but it is also about a connected network between Manchester city council, multi-national companies, world-class universities such as UoM, start-ups, investors, technology innovation centre, and state-of-the-art laboratories which is completed with the latest technology. The trip surely helped me getting to know about how this clusters of innovation centre are formed right in our own neighbourhood!
MSP is one of the most prominent ecosystems in the UK for the growth of science and technology start-ups and companies. It is not merely a working space, it is an interconnected community that are consisted of the UK's leading innovators, investors and entrepreneurs. It is located right in the heart of the innovation district in Manchester (yes, our beloved university and some of our accommodations ARE within this innovation district, how cool is that?!) and is also surrounded by world-class universities as well as the largest materials science research and a clinical academic campus in Europe (triple cool!).
MSP offers incubation, office spaces, and laboratories for businesses, complete with your own gym and café! If you have promising start-ups, you can apply for a working or office space in MSP, which also give you the opportunity to be connected to its various networks of investors, big businesses such as Cisco, technology innovations, and other like-minded organisations! Check out their website to find out more: https://mspl.co.uk
Finished with the cool spaces and offices that are filled with new and exciting start-ups inside the MSP, we headed to the Citylabs 1.0, the largest clinical academic campus in Europe. It consists of interconnected networks of scientific and academic communities, as well as prominent institutions in the health sector, including NHS and many others. We were introduced to the Manchester Molecular Pathology Innovation Centre which delivers scientific and clinical discoveries that aim to improve the accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency of medical analytics to the market. The clinical tests are performed to improve and speed up the diagnosis, prediction, and identification, in treating diseases which leads to breakthrough discoveries in the medical world. The promising projects will then be adopted in the NHS. The facilities are fully filled with advanced technologies and equipment's, making it one of the most sophisticated laboratories across Europe.
Finishing off the trip, we had a chance to have a look into the Elucigene Diagnostic, one of the Citylabs' customers. It produces molecular diagnostic products which are distributed globally. Mike Webb, the co-founder of the company, shared his story on how he started the business in October 2013 with only just three people. Due to its outstanding capabilities in designing, manufacturing and innovating its products, the company grew into a global manufacturer that serves up to 62 countries within 5 years. Now, the company can enjoy its superior business process that is supported with advanced technology as well as a strategic position in the network through the Citylabs' interconnected communities.
With its global network and innovative works that are supported with prime location and collaborative ecosystem among notable organisations, right in the centre of Manchester's innovation district, the University of Manchester is definitely the right place to study innovation management and entrepreneurship with shimmering opportunities for its graduates.
