Our Story

Sister is Manchester’s new innovation district. A £1.7bn investment into the city, its setting – the former University of Manchester North Campus and UMIST site – is steeped in science and engineering history. Home to the UK’s most exciting new ideas and disruptive technologies, Sister is a worldclass innovation platform in the heart of one of the most exciting global cities. It stands as the city’s symbol of a new era of discovery that promises progress against humanity’s greatest challenges.

Sister is where Manchester will change the world again.

At Sister, you’ll find visionary start-ups next to industry-leading multinationals. University spin-outs next to social enterprises. Creative studios next to R&D facilities. New homes next to calming green spaces and bustling community hubs.

We believe that innovation happens where great minds meet. That it comes not from a desire to beat the competition, but from the urge to make the world a better place. We believe that progress happens when people challenge each other’s assumptions and push each other to do better. We believe it takes a community to raise an idea.

That’s why we’re building a vibrant new city-centre neighbourhood, with everything an idea needs to become the inventions that define our future. A place that brings together those who are curious, collaborative and progressive. A community for residents, academics, founders, investors, researchers, creatives and more.

Our name represents a close familial bond between industry and academia. It stands for interdisciplinary cooperation. It illustrates the connections and partnerships that go beyond the boundaries of geography and industry, the deep ties that we’re building across Greater Manchester, throughout the UK and across the globe.

Above all, Sister expresses an ethos of collaboration, openness and the use of knowledge to solve problems.

This ethos, rooted in the heritage of our site, is at the forefront of everything we do. By building an ecosystem of like-minded partners – Sister companies, Sister institutions, Sister districts and Sister cities – we can lay the groundwork for innovation to thrive and help address the world’s most urgent problems.