Manchester Institute of Biotechnology - The University of Manchester

Supercharging the north-west industrial biotechnology sector

By 2028 will achieve...

25 early-stage companies supported to scale-up
80 proof of concept studies with industry
36 secondments and staff exchanges between academia
20 development projects with early-stage companies
200+ students trained to enter careers in IB R&D
20 commercial development awards
10 new IB spin-out or start-up companies

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst (IBIC) is a £5 million EPSRC place-based initiative that brings together north-west England's industrial biotechnology community to accelerate knowledge exchange, skills development, and innovation. It will galvanise links between the region's science, research, innovation, and teaching sectors to create real-world impact.

The IBIC is led by The University of Manchester's Institute of Biotechnology and co-created with the Universities of Liverpool, Salford, and Manchester Metropolitan, and civic and business partners including the Innovation District Manchester project.

We are united by a culture of ethics, diversity, and openness and offer our partners access to cutting-edge R&D knowledge, capabilities, talent and facilities. We support our community with skills training, finance, and business advice so they can realise success.

If you would like to find out more about the IBIC and what it could mean for your organisation, please get in touch.

£34bn +

The field of industrial biotechnology is poised for dramatic growth and has the potential to disrupt markets worth more than £34bn in the UK alone.

13%

Industrial biotechnology is a growth area, with a compound annual growth rate of 13%, and a predicted global market worth £2.78tr by 2030.

13%

Industrial biotechnology is a growth area, with a compound annual growth rate of 13%, and a predicted global market worth £2.78tr by 2030.

How to get involved

Building the IB Ecosystem

We will ensure all businesses can access the world-class research, facilities, services and skills they need to improve productivity and create high-quality jobs.

Partnership and knowledge exchange

We'll offer partnering opportunities through consultancy, joint research, staff exchanges and access to our cutting-edge facilities, alongside flexible co-working spaces.

Innovation and impact

We deliver a portfolio translational training and support mechanisms to progress research through the TRLs towards user adoption, commercialisation and/or policy implementation.

Skills and ambition

We support the full pipeline of training from connecting university research to local businesses, FE Colleges and local residents to embed impact skills, capabilities, and capacity.

Latest news

IBIC part of a new UK alliance for sustainable chemicals and materials (UK-ASCM)

University of Manchester researchers awarded £2 million as part of a global initiative into advancing the bioeconomy

IBIC part of a new innovation district in Manchester - Sister

Brewing a sustainable future: unlocking the potential of spent grains

Upcoming events

Introduction to MEC Researcher to Innovator (R2I) programme

26 - 27 March 2025

An exciting opportunity for researchers to develop their innovative thinking and awareness of creating and developing impact. R2I is a bespoke entrepreneurship training programme for final-year PhD students, PDRAs and early-career researchers from across all faculties with ambitions to develop commercial ventures or to create impact from their...

Pankhurst Health Technology Translation Toolkit Introductory Webinar

10:00 - 11:00 01 April 2025

Webinar Announcement: Introducing the Pankhurst Health Technology Translation Toolkit We are excited to announce a webinar to introduce the recently launched Pankhurst Health Technology Translation Toolkit (see flyer). Date: 1st April 2025 Time: 10-11am Platform: Zoom [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pankhurst-health-technology-translation-toolkit-webinar-tickets-1256434020979?aff=oddtdtcreator/...

Translational Research at Manchester 2025: Celebrating Successes and Paving the Path Forward!

09:00 - 17:00 18 June 2025

Translational Research at Manchester 2025 Join us to celebrate the successes of Translation Manchester, and to hear about the path forward for translational research support at the University of Manchester 2025 marks the sixth anniversary since the launch of Translation Manchester. It is also the final year of the Wellcome Trust Translational...

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Quotes and testimonials

We are excited to work with our partners to create this ecosystem that will support the thriving community here in the Northwest. We are fortunate that we have such good foundations to build on which naturally allows us to take the next step to making the region, and the UK, leaders in industrial biotechnology.
Aline Miller / Principal Investigator, Professor of Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Dean for Business Engagement and Innovation

I’m pleased to announce our first ten Place Based Impact Acceleration Accounts which will play a unique role in enhancing the capabilities of innovation clusters across the UK. A key priority for UKRI is to strengthen clusters and partnerships in collaboration with civic bodies and businesses, thereby driving regional economic growth.
Professor Miles Padgett, / Interim Executive Chair at EPSRC

Biotechnology delivers for our health, planet, prosperity and beyond and by targeting the North-West through our £41m place-based investment, we can build on the region’s thriving innovation cluster and better integrate the UK’s renowned research activity. Our investment will also create hundreds of new jobs, projects and businesses that will in turn drive investment to the region to grow the local and wider UK economy.
George Freeman / Science Minister

We very much look forward to working with our regional partners to combine knowledge and expertise and create meaningful and lasting impact for a thriving north-west innovation ecosystem.
Professor Claire Eyers / Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Impact in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool

At Croda we are committed to be climate, land and people positive by 2030. We work to identify functional materials that can be manufactured from widely available, non-fossil materials while also developing low emission processing. We are looking forward to being an active member of the IBIC ecosystem and engaging with the collaborative mechanisms.
Dr Damian Kelly / Vice President – Innovation & Technology Development at Croda