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In the UK¡¯s search for economic growth, innovation holds the answer. As vice-chancellors born overseas, we were drawn here from Princeton and Sydney by the UK¡¯s excellent universities, world-class research, brilliant entrepreneurs, and ¨C in Cambridge and Manchester ¨C two of Europe¡¯s most dynamic innovation ecosystems.

But for too long, the debate on how to make the most of our assets has focused on false choices: invest in the Golden Triangle or level up the rest of the UK; wait for infrastructure mega-projects or accept the status quo; compete for limited resources or resign ourselves to fragmentation. Choose the north or the south ¨C rather than the north and the south.

These dilemmas miss the transformative opportunity right in front of us: a step-change in how cities collaborate, building on their strengths to be more than the sum of their parts.

That¡¯s why the universities we lead are pioneering a radically different model: the UK¡¯s first cross-city innovation partnership. With ?6 million in combined funding from Research England and our institutions, we¡¯re fundamentally reimagining how research-intensive universities engage with the economy.

The advantage of our approach is its immediacy. Rather than wait for infrastructure projects that won¡¯t deliver for a decade or two, we¡¯re activating existing assets and networks to drive inclusive growth today.

The economic logic is compelling. Both of our cities have world-leading universities, excellent R&D capabilities and strengths in growth sectors such as AI, life sciences and materials innovation. Cambridge offers a world-leading entrepreneurial ecosystem, mature investor networks, and a globally renowned science and tech cluster.?Manchester is one of the UK¡¯s fastest-growing cities, leading the way on productivity growth. It has a multidisciplinary talent pool?3 million strong, including over 100,000 talented students across the city region, alongside an expanding start-up scene.

Where Cambridge¡¯s growth is constrained by its size and costs, Manchester is limited by a lack of R&D-intensive firms and its less mature support ecosystem. But both have incredible untapped potential that could be transformational for the UK. By partnering together, we can accelerate the journey from discovery to market impact.

Deborah Prentice (left) and Duncan Ivison

Our partnership is a new sustainable model for quickly turning research into jobs, investment and inclusive prosperity. It focuses on three growth drivers.

First, generating investment. We¡¯ll develop a shared foreign investment strategy, leveraging the outstanding collective assets and global networks of our universities to help attract new investment into the UK. Our combined strengths will allow us to compete globally for innovation-intensive investment that neither city could secure alone. Through joint pitch events and showcases, we¡¯ll connect investor networks to channel capital to where it can create jobs and drive productivity.

Second, we¡¯ll create a structured programme focused on ecosystem building ¨C from cluster development and entrepreneurship to scale-up support and innovation adoption. By bringing together entrepreneurs and industry partners from both the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and the Northern Powerhouse, we¡¯ll build networks that accelerate the journey from idea to impact, ensuring that globally leading research doesn¡¯t languish in labs but quickly finds its way to market.

Third, we¡¯ll ensure growth is inclusive in cities that have prosperity alongside deprivation. Through accessible skills programmes, cross-city mentorship schemes and targeted support for entrepreneurs from all backgrounds, we¡¯re putting our neighbouring communities at the heart of our innovation mission and proving that economic growth and social equity reinforce each other.

Industry already acknowledges this complementarity. Over 150 companies have footprints in both regions, including Siemens, semiconductor and software firm ARM, and technology company Roku. AstraZeneca exemplifies how this drives economic value. Through our partnership,?it is extending?its science mentoring scheme from Cambridge to Manchester, giving startups access to experts at its Macclesfield campus. We¡¯re accelerating what markets recognise as a growth opportunity.

Crucially, this is a true city-to-city partnership, with full buy-in from regional leaders. The mayors of Greater Manchester and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, along with both city councils, are active supporters. This political alignment ensures our innovation strategy will connect with transport, housing and planning, creating the conditions for sustained growth.

Our respective innovation units, Unit M and Innovate Cambridge, will drive this collaboration. Rather than being traditional academic organisations, they are designed to make our institutions porous, connecting research with the real economy and ensuring ideas flow seamlessly between our cities.

The urgency cannot be overstated. As other nations build innovation-driven growth corridors spanning hundreds of miles ¨C think Boston to Washington or Beijing to Shanghai ¨C the UK risks being left behind. We can continue watching homegrown ideas get commercialised abroad, or we can create the conditions for them to flourish here. This partnership represents a practical response ¨C one that builds on existing assets, addresses real constraints, and can deliver results quickly.

And this isn¡¯t just about our two cities. As relatively recent newcomers to the UK, we recognise both the extraordinary potential and the systemic barriers facing UK innovation as a whole, and we¡¯re prototyping a model that is applicable elsewhere in the country.

By working together, collaborating rather than competing for limited resources through a network of complementary innovation ecosystems, our universities and cities can play a more effective role in driving the economic growth the UK needs. We hope others will join us.

?is vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge.?Duncan Ivison?is president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester.