Manchester climbs the rankings for innovation
Manchester – the UK’s de facto second city – has for some time been raising the bar when it comes to business and innovation, closing the north-south divide which has historically been so pronounced in England.
For those who live in the city the progress being made is clear with fantastic job opportunities boosted by an ever growing number of start-ups (particularly in the creative and digital sector), and housing, transport and leisure infrastructure keeping up with the pace of growth thanks to investment into the region.
There is certainly a local feeling that Manchester is steaming ahead of, not just its neighbours, but other global economic powerhouses. This has already been proven in the UK, with economic growth in Manchester having outstripped that in the capital since 2014.
It really is no surprise then that Manchester has now been awarded the accolade as one of the most innovative cities in the world, ranking above Shanghai, Beijing and Madrid.
The news has come from the 2018 Innovation Cities Index, which placed Manchester 34th in the global rankings, an 11 place jump from last year. The report used data gathered on three major elements including cultural assets; human infrastructure; and networked markets. Manchester was the only British city to feature in the top 50 other than London.
Tim Newns, CEO of MIDAS – Manchester’s inward investment agency, said to the Manchester Evening News: "This ranking further cements Greater Manchester’s status as a world-leading hub for technology, research and innovation. We are fast becoming the business location of choice for innovative global brands as well as start-ups, thanks to the wealth of knowledge, expertise and opportunities to collaborate available within the city.”
He added, "Greater Manchester is already home to companies including Access Pay, Boohoo, AO.com and Jaguar Land Rover; but it will soon be joined by Amazon and GCHQ – world leading organisations that have recently announced major investments in the city region, creating hundreds of jobs.”
The rankings are just another indication of the current success in the city and future plans for accelerated growth in Manchester as major players like TalkTalk continue to announce they are upping sticks from the capital in favour of the booming north.
The top three locations in the rankings were Tokyo at number one, London second and Silicon Valley third.
