£1.7bn ID Manchester rebranded as Sister
The 4m sq ft innovation district being delivered by Bruntwood SciTech and the University of Manchester has a new name.
Sister is the moniker that has been chosen for the project, that will see the university’s former UMIST campus transformed into the crucible of Greater Manchester’s advanced materials investment zone.
Sister will provide specialist workspace for digital tech, health innovation, biotechnology, advanced materials, and manufacturing firms. It will also feature 1,500 homes and nine acres of public realm.
The name is a nod to the close bond between industry and academia that the scheme is aiming to foster, as well as expressing “an ethos of collaboration, openness, and the use of knowledge to solve problems”, according to project partners.
The rebrand was announced at the launch of the district’s first project, the revamped 110,000 sq ft Renold Building, which has been redeveloped into an incubator for start-ups.
Sustainable Ventures, which provides support to start-ups in the climate tech industry, has been announced as the building’s first tenant. The company will occupy three floors within the 1960s building.
Sustainable Ventures will be joined in the building by a crop of existing University of Manchester spin-outs including the Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester, the Christabel Pankhurst Institute, and the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst.
Next door to the Renold Building, the joint venture is planning to deliver the first major new-build development within Sister. A consultation on this phase of work is ongoing.
Rebrand reaction
Bradley Topps, project director for Sister and chief commercial officer at Bruntwood SciTech
“Sister is founded on the belief that it takes a community to raise an idea and that although ideas may appear in a single mind, they flourish when people come together.
“This new district marks a new chapter in Manchester’s history of science and innovation. Over the next 15 years, we’re dedicated to developing an inclusive space that connects talent, investment, education and enterprise, providing the perfect conditions for ideas to spark, collaboration to flourish, and world-changing innovations to scale.”
John Holden, associate vice-president at the University of Manchester and executive committee member for Sister
“The opening of the Renold Building is a major milestone in the development of Sister, capitalising on the University of Manchester’s research, innovation and education capabilities to catalyse the growth of successful science and technology start-ups.
“Sister will be home to some of the most exciting businesses in the UK developing solutions to help tackle society’s biggest challenges. We’re excited to open the doors to a vibrant new innovation district that will drive growth for ambitious start-ups and scale-ups, attract new science and technology companies to Manchester, and create new opportunities for our staff, students and local communities.”
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council
“This is a significant moment for Manchester. The fact that Sister will ultimately create 10,000 jobs and add £1.5 billion a year to the city’s economy underlines its scale and the sheer ambition behind this major new district.
“This development will add to Manchester’s thriving innovation ecosystem and, true to the heritage of a site from which great ideas and innovations have previously sprung, will help keep the city in the forefront of future innovation.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
“Sister will be a thriving innovation district at the heart of Greater Manchester. With the Renold Building opening and welcoming its first occupier, we’re seeing the first signs of what this area will become – a home for start-ups, innovation-led businesses, universities, researchers and investors, where the clustering effect helps create jobs and opportunities.
“Sister is also a key site for our Investment Zone, which is supporting the growth of the advanced materials and manufacturing sector. Our city-region has been a centre of scientific and technological innovation for two centuries and places like Sister are where the next chapter of that story is written.”
Andrew Wordsworth, chief executive of Sustainable Ventures
“We’re thrilled to grow Sustainable Ventures’ footprint in the UK by establishing a presence in Sister, at the heart of the UK’s second-largest tech ecosystem. This partnership empowers us to supercharge climate tech innovation across The North, bringing workspace, investment and a wealth of expertise to the region’s pioneering startups and entrepreneurs.
“The climate tech companies we’ve supported to date have already created over 6,000 jobs and we hope to replicate that economic growth within the region over the next few years.”
