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Greater Manchester Universities — Healthcare, Medical Training & HealthTech Research

Greater Manchester is home to a concentration of universities with significant strengths in healthcare, medical training, and health technology research. This guide provides an overview of each institution’s offerings relevant to the healthtech ecosystem, including research centres, courses, facilities, and contact details.

Health Innovation Manchester

Health Innovation Manchester

healthinnovationmanchester.com info@healthinnovationmanchester.com Citylabs 1.0, Manchester, M13 9NQ, United Kingdom

Health Innovation Manchester (HInM)

Health Innovation Manchester is the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) for Greater Manchester. It plays a central coordinating role across all GM universities, NHS trusts, and industry partners, helping to discover, develop, and deploy innovations into the local health and social care system. For healthtech companies, HInM is often the first point of contact for navigating the regional innovation landscape.

Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC)

A formal partnership between the University of Manchester and NHS partners to accelerate translation of research into clinical improvements.

In April 2020, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC), part of Health Innovation Manchester, was officially designated by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and NHS England up to 2025. Find out more about the designation in this news story. The goal for the AHSC was to make new scientific discoveries and shorten the time to turn them into effective treatments to deliver benefits for patients locally and around the world.
Manchester Metropolitan University

Manchester Metropolitan University

www.mmu.ac.uk +44 (0) 0161 247 2000 Ormond Building, Manchester, M15 6BX, United Kingdom
Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met) is one of the largest universities in the UK, with over 37,000 students and more than 1,000 courses. It is in the top 3% of global universities (Times Higher Education) and has 85% of its research impact rated world-leading or internationally excellent. The University trains large numbers of health workers and is an active partner in the Greater Manchester health innovation ecosystem via Health Innovation Manchester.

Department of Health Professions

Offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in nursing, physiotherapy, and other allied health professions. The department has strong placement partnerships with NHS trusts across Greater Manchester.
    • Address: Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints, Manchester, M15 6BH
    • General enquiries: 0161 247 2000

Research Centre for Musculoskeletal Sciences and Sport Medicine

Part of the £26 million Institute of Sport, this centre researches diagnostic tools, novel therapies, new medical devices, and interventions to improve musculoskeletal health. Facilities include human performance laboratories, a 3T MRI scanner, 3D motion analysis systems, and an environmental chamber simulating extreme temperatures and altitudes.

Healthcare Innovation Research (Implementation Science)

Manchester Met hosts NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM) implementation science research, led by Dr Roman Kislov. This work evaluates the application and adoption of research-based innovations to improve healthcare, with a specific focus on understanding how Health Innovation Manchester and the wider network influence the scale-up of innovations across the region.

Key Courses (Health and HealthTech Related)

Manchester Met offers programmes in physiotherapy, nursing (adult, child, mental health), health and social care, sport and exercise science, and health psychology. Its nursing programmes are ranked 4th in the UK (Guardian University Guide).  
NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester

arc-gm.nihr.ac.uk arc-gm@nihr.ac.uk 6th Floor, Trust Offices, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Stott Lane, Salford, M6 8HD, United Kingdom

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) fund, enable and deliver world-leading health and social care research that improves people\'s health and wellbeing, and promotes economic growth.

A large-scale partnership between universities, NHS providers, and third-sector organisations, ARC-GM is one of 15 networks across England funded by the NIHR. It produces research responding to the needs of local populations and healthcare systems, and is a key mechanism for evaluating health innovations in Greater Manchester.

They are one of 15 ARCs across England, part of an initial £135 million investment over five years by the NIHR to improve the health and care of patients and the public. This five-year investment has been extended by 18 months until 31 March 2026.

Their research activity is pivotal in finding new and evaluating better ways of preventing illness and delivering care, ensuring that Greater Manchester continues to be at the leading edge of health innovation, applied research, care and treatment.

Royal Northern College of Music

Royal Northern College of Music

www.rncm.ac.uk 0161 907 5200 info@rncm.ac.uk 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD., United Kingdom

The RNCM provides a unique environment in which musical creativity and experimentation can flourish by continually forging new connections between teaching, research and performance.

Specifically, a dynamic culture of research is fostered that recognises, supports and disseminates relevant work by staff in all areas of its activities, including the creation, performance, production, history, theory, and psychology of music. While not a health-focused institution, the RNCM is worth noting as a GM university-level institution. It does not offer healthcare or healthtech programmes but is a partner in broader GM cultural and wellbeing research initiatives.

The RNCM is quickly becoming one of the world-leading research institutions for embodied scientific investigation on what music is useful for people with Parkinson’s around the world.

https://www.rncm.ac.uk/research/research-activity/projects/music-and-parkinsons/ Over 150,000 people in the UK live with Parkinson’s, which is ‘the fastest growing neurological condition in the world’ (Parkinson’s UK). Since 2019, an international team of researchers have been exploring the use of music for people with Parkinson’s: Dr Michelle Phillips (RNCM), Professor Dawn Rose (University of Applied Arts and Sciences, Lucerne), Professor Ellen Poliakoff (University of Manchester), and Dr Will Young (University of Exeter).
The team is committed to conducting extensive empirical studies in the lab environment, investigating embodied data and evidence that suggests a crucial, multifaceted role for music and social prescribing in treatments for Parkinson’s worldwide. Over the past six years, this international team has identified new ways in which music may be useful for emotion and mood management, for motivation, and as a personal anthem for people with Parkinson’s. Their studies also suggested potential benefits of musical imagery (people imagining music in their head), as well as the effects of listening to music of various genres and underlying characteristics.  
 
The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester

www.manchester.ac.uk +44 (0) 161 306 6000 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
The University of Manchester is a Russell Group university and one of the UK’s leading research institutions. It is ranked 1st in the UK and 4th in the world for citation impact in digital health, and was ranked 2nd nationally in REF 2021 for allied health professions, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy.

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

The University’s primary health faculty integrates discovery biology, clinical application, and patient care within a single structure. It encompasses three schools: the School of Biological Sciences, the School of Medical Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences.

School of Health Sciences

Hosts the Division of Informatics, Imaging and Data Sciences (IIDS), which is a major centre for digital health research. Key research areas include health data science and AI, digital health interventions, personal sensing using smartphones and wearables, medical image acquisition and analysis, in silico trials of imaging systems and medical devices, and health services research using NHS data. The NIHR-funded Rapid Service Evaluation Team, based here, delivers real-time assessments to guide decisions on adopting or discontinuing innovations in health and care.

School of Medical Sciences

Covers cancer sciences, cardiovascular sciences, developmental biology and medicine, dentistry, diabetes and endocrinology, and more. Home to some of the UK’s largest clinical research programmes.

Christabel Pankhurst Institute for Health Technology Research and Innovation

A £25 million initiative specifically focused on needs-led health technology research and innovation. This is arguably the single most important academic asset in Greater Manchester for healthtech companies. The Institute provides end-to-end support for translating research into practice and acts as the flagship for the University’s rapidly expanding health technology portfolio. The Christabel Pankhurst Institute is a unique partnership between the University, the NHS, business, and local government, forming a core part of the Greater Manchester health innovation ecosystem. It houses over 350 researchers and focuses on three technology areas: digital and AI technologies (including health data analytics, digital interventions, connected health, and mobile/wearable sensing), advanced materials for health applications, and multi-omic health technologies. The Institute also runs the Greater Manchester Connected Health Ecosystem, a collaborative network coordinated with Health Innovation Manchester and the University’s Digital Futures platform, bringing together academia, industry, the NHS, and local government.

Digital Futures Research Platform

The University’s interdisciplinary research platform focused on digital technologies, including a specific “Digital Health” challenge theme exploring how digital technologies can improve health and social care. Coordinates the GM Connected Health Ecosystem alongside the Christabel Pankhurst Institute and Health Innovation Manchester.

Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC)

A partnership between the University of Manchester and NHS organisations to accelerate the translation of research into improved clinical practice. MAHSC provides a framework for collaboration between academic researchers and clinical teams.

NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (Manchester BRC)

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Manchester BRC supports translational research across multiple disease areas and is a key vehicle for testing and evaluating health technologies in clinical settings.
University of Greater Manchester

University of Greater Manchester

www.bolton.ac.uk +44 (0) 1204 900 600 enquiries@greatermanchester.ac.uk Deane Road, Bolton, BL3 5AB, United Kingdom

The University of Greater Manchester (rebranded from the University of Bolton) is a smaller, teaching-focused university with a growing health sciences offering. It has particular strengths in clinical simulation and medical training, and recently launched a medical school.

University of Greater Manchester Medical School

A notable recent addition to the GM healthcare training landscape. The medical school is housed in the £40 million purpose-built Bolton Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), located in the grounds of Royal Bolton Hospital. Facilities include a state-of-the-art 4D room and two high-fidelity simulation suites. The close proximity to the hospital enables integrated clinical education.

  • Website: medicine.bolton.ac.uk
  • Address: Institute of Medical Sciences, Barnes Drive (off Redgate Way), Farnworth, Bolton, BL4 0HW

Health and Social Care

The University offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in health and social care, with access to purpose-built health and research facilities in the £31 million Bolton One centre on campus. Clinical Simulation Suites in Bolton One replicate clinical environments with simulated patients. The University also offers an IBMS-accredited BSc Biomedical Science programme.

 
University of Salford

University of Salford

www.salford.ac.uk +44 (0) 161 295 5000 askus@salford.ac.uk The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT, United Kingdom

The University of Salford has a strong applied-research focus and is one of the largest trainers of nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals in England. Its School of Health and Society has close links with NHS trusts, Health Education England, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and local authorities.

School of Health and Society

The school offers education and research across nursing, midwifery, allied health, public health, diagnostic imaging, psychology, mental health, counselling, social work, and sports science. Facilities include a state-of-the-art clinical simulation suite designed to replicate hospital ward environments.

Centre for Human Movement and Rehabilitation

A nationally significant research centre addressing global health challenges that limit mobility and independent living. Key research areas include rehabilitation technologies and biomedical engineering, prosthetics and orthotics (Salford leads and hosts the EPSRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Prosthetics and Orthotics, a national first with Imperial, Strathclyde, and Southampton as partners), rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, long-term conditions (limb loss, diabetes, stroke), health and ageing (including frailty), and assistive technology development.

The Centre works closely with the NHS and industry partners to develop and test new treatments and innovative healthcare products.

Centre for Applied Health Research

A multidisciplinary research centre with experts in nursing, allied health, public health, diagnostic imaging, psychology, mental health, and digital information systems. Research is largely applied in nature and frequently uses technology and digital solutions to solve real-world problems. Key themes include digital health and medical imaging (including work improving breast cancer diagnosis), long-term conditions self-management using digital and social media, healthcare workforce digital skills education, and health equity and inequalities.

This information is provided by Out-There HealthTech as a community resource. While we endeavour to keep it accurate and up to date, university structures and offerings can change. We recommend checking individual university websites for the most current information. Last reviewed: March 2026.

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