University of Greater Manchester
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29/06/2026
The University of Greater Manchester will play a key role in an innovative multi-million project to boost advanced manufacturing skills across the region.
The University’s Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (CfAM) is one of the delivery partners in The Atom Valley Innovation District, (AVID) a nationally significant advanced materials and manufacturing cluster backed by a £16.4m investment.
The University has been allocated £400,000 to support the delivery of industry-ready skills packages. It will develop and deliver Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the field of sustainable materials and advanced manufacturing.
The latest funding for the University of Greater Manchester comes three years after it was awarded £1m to help launch its innovative Centre for Advanced Manufacturing department.
Dr Joseph Horne, Business Lead for the University of Greater Manchester’s Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, said: “We are extremely proud to be playing such an important role in this important initiative in Rochdale.
“We will use our expertise to help ensure that the region’s workforces acquire the vital skills to help them innovate for the future in the field of advanced manufacturing.”
Lead delivery partner in The Atom Valley Innovation District, in partnership with the Rochdale Development Agency, is the University of Manchester.
Working with partners across Greater Manchester, it has played a leading role in securing in total £50m investment from UK Research and Innovation’s Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) that drive innovation-led growth across the city region.
The £16.4m investment in AVID will help to activate the innovation ecosystem needed to support the growth of materials-focused companies at Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale.
The programme will provide technical support, business services and access to specialist expertise to help companies scale up and adopt sustainable materials and advanced manufacturing technologies.
The delivery consortium also provides comprehensive access to the national advanced materials innovation ecosystem through the Henry Royce Institute, Centre for Process
Innovation (CPI), the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the National Composites Centre (NCC).
The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) is part of the government's commitment to ensure economic growth is felt across the whole of the UK.
In Greater Manchester, the whole portfolio is worth £50m and covers nationally significant sectors including advanced materials & manufacturing, digital, cyber & AI, health innovation & life sciences, and low carbon technologies.
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