Innovation
England’s first public library, first public park, first street to be lit by gas, first public railway and first city to have horse drawn buses are just some examples of how Salford has led the way in the past.
We have a long history as a pioneering city at the forefront of innovation, and this continues to this day.
Salford is a key driver in Innovation Greater Manchester and the Salford Innovation Triangle (made up of MediaCity, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Salford) is at the heart of Greater Manchester’s growth plans.
MediaCity’s Home of Skills & Technology (HOST) offers affordable and flexible workspaces, including state-of-the-art innovation labs, business support and advice, networking, technology training and social spaces for like-minded businesses to connect and collaborate.
Salford Royal is part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, which has been widely recognised as forward-thinking in the space of innovation by using technology, data and different tools in how health and social care are delivered.
New facilities at the University of Salford are very industry-focused and related to real working environments:
- The North of England Robotics Innovation Centre (NERIC) serves as a hub for small to medium-sized enterprises looking to design, test and validate innovative technologies in the rapidly growing area of robotics and automation. It focuses on the development of intelligent infrastructure digital automation and supply chain improvement.
- Energy House 2.0 is a collection of different types of houses built inside environmental chambers that act as test beds for low and zero carbon technologies. Companies with suitable technologies are able to access the facility for test and research entirely free of charge.
Already home to 75,000 jobs, Salford Innovation Triangle is part of a vision to create 20,000+ highly skilled jobs, it could add £1.5 billion to the economy, support levelling up and play a vital role in economic recovery from the pandemic. Find out more in our video.