Frontier Sectors & Technology Families

Frontier Sectors

Greater Manchester is a leader in entrepreneurial activity as measured by start-up rates, the local concentration of Unicorn businesses, and fast growth in key areas. 

This is set out in the Manchester Independent Economic Review and the Greater Manchester Independent Prosperity Review.

As a result, the Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy and the Greater Manchester & Cheshire East Science & Innovation Audit have identified the region's key economic strengths in four frontier sectors.

Sustainable Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Health Innovation & Life Sciences
Digital & Creative
Net Zero

Greater Manchester’s frontier sectors all create significant growth opportunities for the region.

These frontier sectors have been informed and shaped by numerous economic analyses, industry engagement forums and local plans for growth, validating that they are the biggest opportunities for innovation-led, inclusive economic growth across the whole conurbation. 

Technology Families

Greater Manchester has also identified three technology families which align with the four frontier sectors identified as key growth opportunities by the Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy.

These technology families have been selected based on the region’s outstanding research strengths, development assets and commercialisation opportunities in each area. The technology families will be used across all frontier sectors in hopes to coordinate and meet gaps in Greater Manchester’s Innovation Ecosystem.

The technology families are; Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing, AI, Data & Advanced Computing and Diagnostics & Genomics.