Decades on, observing some Manchester students, it doesn’t seem like we’ve made much progress. The assumption existed then, and seems to exist today, that just because students are surrounded by people from different countries, they’ll implicitly learn how to manage exchanges, they’ll ‘figure it out’. There is little indication, though, that this is the case.

Communicating across languages and cultures is complex. It involves awareness, understanding, adaptability, a willingness and confidence to step out of our comfort zones.        

This matters because what could be a strength, can easily become a silent barrier to learning and participation. In my experience the challenges of communication often become most pronounced during groupwork, especially where there is a shared, assessed outcome.

To gain a better understanding of these communication difficulties and how we can support students to overcome them, my colleague Rachel Heasley and I worked closely with students and academics in FSE.

We observed and analysed how groups of students, who didn’t know each other, communicated when completing a task. Through student consultations we then explored our observations.

A few themes emerged:

• some students speak less, not because they lack ideas, but because they’re shy or worried about being misunderstood because of their language skills
• others take over unintentionally because silence is interpreted as agreement or disinterest
• cultural norms influence the language students choose to disagree, question or express uncertainty.

What is clear, though, is there’s a willingness to make it work. Students just don’t know how to with confidence. For most, this needs to be explicitly taught. Without it, students likely default to what feels safest – talking only with familiar peers.

With that knowledge, we created two targeted interventions: a 120-minute workshop and a 60-minute self-directed resource.

Both feature videos of Manchester students sharing real-life stories – honest reflections of the awkward moments and the breakthroughs. They’re accompanied by interactive and reflective tasks, which guide students to think about their own communication styles, assumptions and strategies and reach a shared understanding of how to communicate in groups.

In semester one, we piloted these with two year-one undergraduate courses in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Department of Materials, each cohort comprising roughly 140 students.

The timing was deliberate. We didn’t want to wait until students were struggling, we wanted to address it head on, aiming to normalise the idea that communication is a skill to be worked on, it’s not something you ‘have’ or don’t. Exposing students to this early in their academic studies gives them time to hone their skills before completing higher stake group assessments in years two and three.

Student response was overwhelmingly positive with over 90% of students reporting that they would recommend the workshop or self-study resource to another student. There was a notable shift post workshop in both students’ preparedness and confidence levels, with the percentage more than doubling.

Following up with students a month on, one student shared:

Another described beginning to find their voice:

Academics noticed the difference too. Compared with previous cohorts, they reported students participating more equally and taking greater responsibility for group dynamics. They also observed a shift in tone with clearer, more respectful communication, and a greater appreciation of the challenges others might be facing. With less time spent managing group conflict and troubleshooting communication breakdowns, the ‘wins’ were obvious.

Moving forward, if we want students to communicate confidently, we need to create the conditions for that to happen. That means moving beyond assumptions, recognising that diversity alone doesn’t guarantee meaningful interaction, and it means equipping students – all students – with the skills they need to navigate difference, not avoid it.

Acknowledgements:  Thanks to Dr Katherine Harrison and Dr Barbara Waters for collaborating on the pilot and their year one undergraduate students on EARTH11300 and MATS11701 for taking part and providing valuable reflections.

 is a British-German creative technologist with over 25 years at the intersection of music, technology, and art. As CTO of and founder of , he has spent his career building the infrastructure that connects creative practice to emerging technology, from pioneering work on one of the world's first artist websites with David Bowie in 1999 to encoding Massive Attack's Mezzanine into synthetic DNA with ETH Zürich. 

Andrew advises the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Working Groups on AI and copyright, representing coalitions of over 30,000 artists through the Music Managers Forum, Featured Artists Coalition, and AFEM. He is a leading voice on artist provenance, AI transparency, and the future of creative rights in the age of generative AI. 

At the heart of the visit was the major public lecture Proof of Human: AI, Copyright, and the Fight for Creative Authorship, which took place at the heart of the Innovation District at SISTER. 

In this special lecture and discussion, Andrew Melchior presented a compelling case for strengthening creative authorship in the era of generative AI. 

Drawing on his experience advising UK government technical working groups on AI and copyright, Melchior explored how large-scale AI systems trained on vast datasets of copyrighted material, often without consent or compensation are disrupting established frameworks for protecting creative work. He argued that the challenge facing artists today is not only legal but infrastructural: without reliable systems to verify authorship and trace creative lineage, existing rights regimes cannot be effectively enforced. 

Following the lecture, he was joined in conversation by John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International, and responded to audience questions. 

Earlier in the day, Melchior lead an interactive masterclass for undergraduate and postgraduate music and composition students. 

The session focussed on practical workflows for producing and releasing music while maintaining provenance and control of intellectual property in a rapidly evolving AI landscape. Students engaged directly with Melchior and explored the real-world implications of emerging technologies on their creative practice. 

The visit also included a roundtable discussion bringing together academic experts and policymakers. They examined the relationship between music, culture, technology, and Manchester’s creative heritage; the impact of AI and other technologies on the creative industries and mechanisms to protect the rights and livelihoods of creative practitioners. 

This visit was part of Creative Manchester’s ongoing commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and critical debate at the intersection of culture, technology, and society.

My name is Callum, and I am a master's student studying Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Manchester. Since December 2025, I have been on placement with Creative Manchester, where I have supported and learned about the wide range of activities the platform undertakes. This has included gaining insight into how Creative Manchester operates as a research platform within the University, and how this work translates into exhibitions and public events.

My decision to return to university was driven by a strong interest in how creative practice and the arts can contribute to health and community regeneration and particularly how communities can work collaboratively to create meaningful change. I have worked in different organisations around Community Collaboration and wanted an insight into what the University does to engage with the community and different engagement approaches. When the opportunity to apply for a placement with Creative Manchester arose, I recognised it as an ideal way to explore how academic research and cross-sector collaboration can influence community development both within the University and across the wider region. The organisation’s strong network of community and arts partners made the placement feel like a perfect fit.

During my time at Creative Manchester, my role focused on supporting the delivery of events and exhibitions developed through both internal research and external partnerships. I contributed to audience engagement evaluation, assisted with social media promotion in the lead-up to events, and supported the organisation of activities from early planning stages, such as researching venues, coordinating catering, and drafting event briefs, through to acting as an ambassador on the day.

Two particularly memorable projects that demonstrate the depth and impact of Creative Manchester’s work were the International Women’s Day event held in collaboration with and the Hulme Nannas' exhibition of (in)visibility, community and urban change.

The Hulme Nannas' exhibition of (in)visibility, community and urban change was a community-focused project involving women over the age of 50 living near the University. Created by author and artist Anthea Cribbin, and led by researchers Tina Cribbin and Niamh Kavanagh, the exhibition explored The University of Manchester's position within Hulme, an area historically marked by deprivation but now undergoing significant regeneration and gentrification. The project provided a platform for local residents to share their perspectives, raising important questions around place-making, identity, and community voice during periods of substantial change.

, was the largest event during my placement and highlighted Creative Manchester’s commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. Thoughtful considerations, such as providing takeaway food options during Ramadan, helped ensure all attendees could fully participate. The event featured a panel discussion on inequalities in employment for women over 50 in Manchester, from the project Uncertain Futures, alongside contributions from local residents involved in the research. Performances from artists within Muslim and Turkish communities added a celebratory dimension, showcasing the strength of collaboration between the University and its wider community. It was a diverse, inclusive, and genuinely collaborative event, and a great example of Creative Manchester at its best.

These examples are just two of the activities I was able to get involved in during my time at Creative Manchester. There where lots of other events that took place from AI in Music through to Creative Inspiration from Plants, Memorial Launches and research symposiums. Alongside this, I supported a diverse range of exhibitions from Moss Worlds, through to Biblical Women. The diversity of activities that took place where really interesting and showed different approaches delivery, teaching me a great deal

This placement has helped me develop both my confidence and my commitment to working collaboratively with communities to address challenges around health, equality, and access to the creative industries. I have gained valuable insight into how meaningful partnerships can bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact. The work undertaken by Creative Manchester is vital in fostering these connections, and it has provided me with approaches and perspectives that I will carry forward in my future work.

I am extremely grateful for my time at Creative Manchester. The team were welcoming, supportive, and deeply passionate about their work. I would strongly encourage anyone who has not yet attended one of their events to do so, they cover a wide range of topics and are consistently engaging and inspiring. The exhibitions in the Samuel Alexander Building’s glass corridor are also not to be missed; having worked with the team, I now appreciate the care and effort that goes into curating and regularly updating this space.

For anyone considering a placement that offers genuine insight into community engagement, academic collaboration, and creative approaches to complex social challenges, Creative Manchester is an opportunity not to overlook. It has been an incredibly valuable and rewarding experience, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the entire team for hosting me.

Dr Alberto Esu, Lecturer in Classical Greek History in the Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology Department at the University of Manchester, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to participate in research activities for the Phyle Project: Revitalizing Democracy in Theory and Practice. The project explores the history of civic offices in ancient Greek democracies and their relevance to contemporary republican and democratic theory.

One of only 12 fellows worldwide, Dr Esu was awarded the fellowship of 24,000 USD through nomination and competitive selection by an international committee of senior scholars. The fellowship is funded by the , which was awarded to Professor Josiah Ober for his leading contribution to the history of Athenian democracy.

As an award-holder, Alberto will support the research activities of the Phyle Project over the next three years until 2028, including participating in a workshop at Stanford University and a final conference in Athens. His studies will explore how Greek democracies structured civic offices, arguing that institutional design—especially limited and well-defined authority—was central to democratic resilience.

Reflecting on the award, Alberto said:

.

The event was the first in a series of workshops exploring the how MSAs are embracing the power of creative and cultural assets to support health and wellbeing, and what more we can do to embed creative health more sustainably into our systems, maximising its potential to contribute to population health and address inequalities.

Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Creative Health 

Mayoral Strategic Authorities are key players in the creative health ecosystem. As a regional tier of government, MSAs can use their devolved powers in areas such as housing, transport, culture, work and skills, and police and crime to strategically align investment and infrastructure and organise public services in a way that best meets local need and promotes economic growth across clusters of local authorities. 

While until now only Greater Manchester has held a devolved health remit, typically a MSA will have powers relating to a range of complex social and economic factors that have such an important impact on our health and wellbeing – the wider determinants of health. The forthcoming English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act will devolve more powers and place a statutory duty on all MSAs to consider how they can improve population health and reduce health inequalities. These policy levers encourage MSAs to coordinate cross-sectoral, place-based and preventative approaches to health. As these approaches take shape, there is a timely opportunity to ensure that creative health forms an important part of the conversation from the outset. 

Several MSAs have already taken a strategic approach to creative health. For example, Greater Manchester’s Creative Health Strategy sets out an ambition to become the world’s first Creative Health City Region. West Yorkshire’s Creative Health Consortium brings together cross-sector partners to boost creative health infrastructure across the region, and in the Greater London Authority, creative health is part of the Mayor’s Health Inequalities Strategy and Health in All Policies approach. The Mayoral Authorities Creative Health Network provides a forum for support and knowledge exchange across MSAs who wish to develop their approach to creative health. Our Creative Communities Co-Lab Policy Network project will allow the Network to engage in research exploring how creative health improves population health and adds social and economic value across a whole system, and to co-design sustainable investment models. 

Mapping Creative Health Policy Alignment in MSAs 

To begin this process, we brought together representatives from different policy areas, geographies, and with varying levels of expertise in creative health to discuss where creative health is already taking place within and across policy domains. 

Facilitated by Lucy Taylor from , participants shared examples of programmes and projects from culture, health and social care, work and skills and the environment, with links to early years education, housing, transport, violence reduction, criminal justice and economic development, highlighting the breadth and scope of creative health.

Example: Early Moves (Greater Manchester)

Early Moves has been developed in partnership with the national dance organisation Rambert and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority School Readiness Team to support pre-school children with their motor skills and to build the skills and confidence of early years practitioners.

The project trains and supports practitioners to introduce structured movement sessions in the daily routine of early years settings, working with children aged 2-4 years. It has demonstrated improvements in children's motor skills, speech, language and communication, as well as positive impacts on practitioner wellbeing and confidence.

Zooming out to consider a whole system approach, we mapped the cross-sectoral partnerships, initiatives and infrastructure necessary to address complex challenges such as health inequalities and began to imagine how a creative health approach could support a MSA to address these. 

Example: West Yorkshire Creative Health System

A scene setting presentation from Jim Hinks, Head of Culture, Heritage and Sport Policy, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and David McQuillan, Arts & Health Programme Manager at South West Yorkshire Partnership nos foundation Trust, described the development of a ‘Hub and Spoke’ model for creative health, centred around a collaborative hub, bringing together a constellation of creative health providers, five place-based work programmes and a matrix of stakeholders to develop infrastructure for creative health across a whole system.

 The process identified opportunities for creative health to feed into MSA priorities:

• Prevention and neighbourhood models of health: The shift to a more preventative and community-based approach to health, as set out in the NHS 10-year plan and reflected in the new health duty for MSAs, is a key lever for creative health. This shift promotes join up across local services, including health, local authorities and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to provide person-centred support. Creative health can be built into the provision of neighbourhood health and used to engage residents in the co-design of such services.
• Regeneration and placemaking incorporating housing, transport and the built environment. Creativity and culture can play a vital role in engaging residents in the design of their neighbourhoods, supporting social cohesion and social capital within communities and boosting pride in place.
• Work and skills and employment: Many MSAs could provide examples of creative health in action improving workforce wellbeing and supporting people that are unemployed on a pathway back to work. Creative health also provides new opportunities for the creative workforce.
• Good growth – Delivering economic development and growth is a primary function of a MSA. Health and economic growth are intrinsically linked, with improved health an outcome of economic growth, and good health a precursor to a stronger economy. Creative health therefore contributes to the growth agenda as an important element of the cultural and creative industries and through its influence on population health. In order to address health inequalities it will be vital that this growth is inclusive and the benefits are felt by all residents. 

What next? 

The workshop highlighted opportunities and common challenges for creative health felt in MSAs across the country, which will inform the direction of this research. 

There was a clearly expressed need to embed creative health more sustainably within a MSA, moving away from short-term project-based work towards long-term, cross-sectoral investment which can support preventative approaches and provide evidence of impact over time. To achieve this, it will be necessary to demonstrate and communicate the value of creative health consistently and coherently and in a way that is meaningful to decisionmakers in a devolved policy context.  

The next stages of this research will investigate how this might be achieved, working towards tools and resources that will be useful to those looking to make the case for creative health in their own systems, as well as a set of recommendations for policymakers.  

AHRC Creative Communities is a multi-million-pound research programme based at Northumbria University. AHRC Creative Communities Co-Lab Policy Network Awards are cross-sector cultural policy networks in devolved nations and regions of the UK. They create new capacity for cross-sector collaborative exchange of policy ideas relating to culture and devolution (regional and national) in the context of the UK Government Missions. Find out more here: 

The award-winning festival, which is supported by Arts Council England, features a vibrant programme that highlights the library network’s full offer, across wellbeing, culture and creativity, digital and information, and, of course, reading.

Festival of Libraries won Best Event at the Manchester Culture Awards 2024 and was named the second Most Inclusive Literature Festival by Inclusive Books For Children in 2025.

 has curated a series of four free events for the Festival programme, showcasing our research, in partnership with the  and the .

Writing for Wellbeing workshops will see poets from the Centre for New Writing run two sessions at Stockport and Manchester libraries, exploring how creative writing can positively impact wellbeing.

The Linguistic Diversity Collective will present  which will explore how dictionaries define words and will take place at the . This interactive event will explore the meanings, uses, origins, and evolution of Jamaican Patwa. It draws on research from Dr Serge Sagna, of the Linguistic Diversity Collective and is aimed at all generations of people of Jamaican descent living in Manchester along with members of the wider public who would like to learn more about Jamaican Patwa / Patois. All are welcome.

‘Tasting Children's Literature - An Edible Readathon’ will provide a family-friendly, immersive session exploring foods in children's literature. The workshop will engage children in drawing pictures of and telling stories about the foods that come to life in their favourite stories, as well as the foods that mean most to them and their communities.

Find out more about the University’s Festival of Libraries workshops and book your free places by visiting .

Organised with help from the ,&�Բ�����;‘ addressed the city’s contributions to electronic music from an interdisciplinary perspective. The event explored the themes in computer science, musical composition and history, and asked what Manchester’s past can tell us about the future of machine‑assisted creativity. 

Manchester’s influence on popular music has long been celebrated, with bands such as Oasis, The Smiths and Joy Division/New Order cementing the city’s reputation. Furthermore, Manchester’s contributions to computing are well known, with the University of Manchester celebrating 75 years since the development of the Turing Test this academic year. However, far less attention has been afforded to the intersection of these two histories, the city’s contributions to electronic music.  

The event addressed three main components of this musical relationship: the early development of electronic music and Turing's work in Manchester; electronic music facilities and research at The University of Manchester throughout the years; and contemporary human-machine collaborations shaping the future of electronic music.  

The event began with a welcome address by Creative Manchester Director, Professor John McAuliffe, before  (Senior Lecturer in Text Mining and Creative Manchester Theme Lead for Creative Industries and Innovation/CreaTech) introduced the aims and speakers for the day.  

The first lightning talk was delivered by , a former mathematical biologist and author of Alan Turing’s Manchester. Dr Swinton highlighted that Turing himself was not especially interested in musical composition. Instead, it was the need to market computers that encouraged early experiments in using machines for entertainment. While Turing did not compose electronic music, contemporaries such as Christopher Strachey were instrumental in developing some of the earliest computer-generated works. 

(Research Software Engineer, Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick) then turned to the representation of sound in computing, drawing on the archive of Eric Sunderland, a maintenance engineer on Manchester’s Atlas machine who created polyphonic music using the computer. Dr Emsley highlighted the challenges of researching such archives, which are often incomplete: while numerical data survives, the sounds and voices those numbers once represented are frequently lost. 

Manchester’s electroacoustic heritage was explored further by (Professor of Electroacoustic Music Composition and Director of the Electroacoustic Music Studios and MANTIS). Professor Berezan traced the history of the University’s electroacoustic studios, founded in 1967, from sparse archival records in the 1980s through a period of rebirth from the early 1990s to the present. These developments led to the founding of the and the in 2007, with a strong emphasis on taking electronic music out of the studio and into live performance. 

Subsequently,  (Professor of Innovation and Sustainability, The University of Manchester; Professor of Political Economy of Sustainability, Maastricht University) reflected on his personal journey with electronic music. Drawing on Zen Buddhist teachings from Shunryū Suzuki, he described a ‘second beginning’ with music later in life. Professor Boons considered the concept of the ‘musical centaur’, a human musician assisted by a machine, alongside the risk of ‘reverse musical centaurs’, where humans become appendages of uncaring machines. 

The final lightning talk was delivered by  (Bicentenary Fellow in Music), who offered a glimpse into the future of machine involvement in music. Discussing her research project , an immersive opera with live audience interaction, Dr Huang-Kokina explored the artistic and technical challenges of integrating AI into performance. She also previewed her forthcoming project, ‘Emotion Engine’, which creates a real-time feedback loop between audience response and stage design, concluding with the question: “If the stage can finally listen, what will audiences say?” Dr Huang-Kokina’s work will be further discussed at the forthcoming research café, , on 19 May 2026.

Following the lightning talks, a panel discussion featuring Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina, Dr Iain Emsley,  (Professor of Natural Language Processing) and  (Professor of Electronic and Produced Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama) and chaired by  (Professor, Department of Computer Science). The panellists discussed what the role of machines should be in music production.  

Following the event, attendees were invited to view Turing – Machine, a sound installation by Professor Frank Boons that articulates the evolving ways in which humans and computers interact, and an interactive two-player musical Turing test by PhD student . 

To stay informed about Creative Manchester’s work in the Creative Industries and Innovation/CreaTech theme, as well as our other events and activities, please .

This notable three-way partnership is centred on creative health and will help to foster a deeper academic and cultural exchange between Japan and the UK in this area of research. It will form the basis for future research collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Greater Manchester (GM) is recognised as a national and world reference for creative health. Building on a long history of arts and health work, GM launched its Creative Health Strategy in 2022, with ambitions for GM to become the world’s first Creative Health City Region. The GM Creative Health Place Partnership continues to support the development and delivery of creative health activity across Greater Manchester.

As part of this MoU, the three partners (UoM, the ART-based Platform for Co-creation, and NCAR), will work collaboratively with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) GM Place Partnership, to strengthen international research collaborations.

The agreement will be formally signed in Tokyo on 23 May 2026, following the , at The National Art Center, Tokyo, where colleagues from The University of Manchester will present on creative health initiatives in Greater Manchester.

Whilst in Tokyo, The University of Manchester and GMCA colleagues have been invited to speak at the , alongside academics from TUA and NCAR.

The University of Manchester is proud to work collaboratively with a number of renowned teaching institutions across the globe, with several partners located in Asia including Manchester-Chinese University of Hong Kong, Manchester-Ashoka University, Manchester O.P. Jindal Global University, Manchester-IISC Bangalore and Manchester-Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

The University collaborates with other institutions around the world at a faculty level through impactful MoUs, ensuring colleagues can collaborate with global peers in their field and access the resources they need to co-create cutting-edge research.

The Faculty of Humanities was a founding member of the Global Humanities Alliance, a partnership that includes the University of Melbourne, University of Toronto, University of Nairobi, Ashoka University, Mahidol University, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universitas Gadjah Mada and The University of Manchester.

The University of Manchester is globally renowned for its pioneering research, outstanding teaching and learning, and commitment to social responsibility. We are a truly international university – ranking in the top 50 in a range of global rankings – with a diverse community of more than 44,300 students, 12,800 colleagues and 585,000 alumni. 

Harriet Hillier, a second-year undergraduate student in Music at the University of Manchester, has been awarded the Stuart Hall Essay Prize for 2026. The prize, worth £2,000, is open to UK-based academics, students, journalists and other writers aged 18-30, and aims to stimulate new contributions to the areas of political, cultural and educational research pioneered by the Jamaican-British cultural theorist and sociologist Stuart Hall.

Harriet’s essay, ‘Choosing a Nation: Identity, Belonging, and Representation in International Sport’, was the unanimous choice of the judging panel. The essay focuses in particular on fencing, a sport at which Harriet has represented Great Britain in international competitions.

The judges, Professor Catherine Hall, Professor Jo Littler and Professor Kennetta Hammond Perry, gave the following comments on the prize-winning essay: “This essay applies Hall’s conjunctural method to read culture at the intersection of political, economic and ideological forces. The case study is of fencing as an international sport and the author applies their experience of it as a participant to discuss what it means to represent a nation at this time, in a post-Brexit world in which borders have become ever more problematic, where sport is transnational yet aims to figure as a key symbol of national unity, and athletes adopt strategic nationalities in order to gain funding enabling them to compete. The essay is beautifully written and engages throughout with different aspects of Hall’s thinking – put to work in relation to the specificity of now. The moment – it is argued – is one of both crisis and opportunity: it raises the question as to what kind of nation we want to be, and insists that the nation’s story can be retold. We appreciated its extrapolation of the hybrid histories of the sport, its grasp of the neoliberal dynamics shaping its present, and its deft threading through of personal experience to tell the story on multiple levels”.

The winning essay has been published on the .

The formal handover of the Inquiry Memorial to the University of Manchester will take place on Tuesday 24 March. The University is providing a permanent home for the Inquiry Memorial. 

The Inquiry Memorial is located in a central location that has limited space so we will livestream the formal handover for Inquiry participants who would like to follow online or watch the recording afterwards.  

The livestream will begin at 14.00 on Tuesday 24 March. Sir Brian Langstaff will make remarks as part of the event. If you wish to watch the livestream, please go .  The recording will be available on the Inquiry website.

From Wednesday 25 March, it will be possible to visit the Inquiry Memorial at the University of Manchester.  The Inquiry Memorial is in the Old Quadrangle of the University of Manchester, on the ground floor of the Whitworth Building which is open weekdays 7am – 5:30pm.  The Inquiry Memorial is also visible from the Old Quadrangle without entering the Whitworth Building.

The researchers aim to develop AI tools that can understand the differences between multiple versions of prints throughout history, allowing scholars to understand how early imagery was made and circulated, along with the practices of printers and their workshops. 

The team consists of (Professor of Italian and Director of the John Rylands Research Institute at the University of Manchester);  (Professor of Computer Science and Head of Engineering Research at the University of Manchester); (Head of the Digital Development Team at the University of Manchester Library);  (Senior Software Developer in the University of Manchester Library’s Digital Development Team); (Senior Researcher in Digital Humanities at the University of Oxford); (Royal Society Research Professor and Professor of Computer Vision Engineering at the University of Oxford); and (Software Engineer at the University of Oxford).

Professor Richard Curry, Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation in the University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, said: "It's fantastic news that the Manchester-led project Envisioning Print with AI Computer Vision, has been selected for this Schmidt Sciences award. This project is an exemplary, highly interdisciplinary collaboration between humanities researchers and computational experts, and its cutting-edge mixed methodologies will shape future innovation  with real-world impacts in line with the University's Manchester 2035 ambitions."

Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences, added: “Our newest technologies may shed light on our oldest truths, on all that makes us human – from the origins of civilization to the peaks of philosophical thought to contemporary art and film, Schmidt Sciences’ Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI) is poised to change not only the course of scholarship, but also the way we see ourselves and our role in the world.”

Schmidt Sciences has awarded $11 million to 23 research teams around the world who are exploring new ways to bring artificial intelligence into dialogue with the humanities, from archaeology and art history to literature, linguistics, film studies, and beyond. As part of the Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI), these interdisciplinary teams will both apply AI to illuminate the human record and draw on humanistic questions, methods, and values to advance how AI itself is designed and used.

Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs with the most promising, advanced tools to support a thriving planet. The organisation prioritises research in areas poised for impact, including AI and advanced computing, astrophysics, biosciences, climate, and space – as well as supporting researchers in a variety of disciplines through its science systems program.

Two award winners were announced on the evening:

Anne Boyd Rioux took The PFD Prize, an annual award for the most promising piece of fiction from the MA Creative Writing dissertation, as chosen by the leading London literary agency, . The winner receives a cash prize and the opportunity to work with an agent at PFD to develop their writing towards publication. 

Anne is a former English professor from New Orleans and a biographer specializing in American women writers. She is the author of three non-fiction books and the popular Substack newsletter Audacious Women, Creative Lives.  She is currently working on her upcoming first novel A War of Her Own, based on the real-life story of the New Yorker writer Kay Boyle. Trapped in France during WWII with her abusive husband, the artist Laurence Vail, and his ex-wife Peggy Guggenheim, she fell in love with an Austrian refugee who needed rescuing as much as she did. Many years later, however, the consequences of her decisions during the war continue to reverberate through the lives of her children.

Kieron Fairweather, Associate Agent at PFD added:

The MA Poetry Prize went to Ellie Grant. Ellie is a neuroqueer poet. She takes inspiration from childhood, the pockets of green in her local London, and the pockets of dark in urban places where green things tend to grow. She placed second in the The University of Manchester Micropoetry Competition in 2024 and was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize 2025.

Ellie commented:

The editorial team for this year’s anthology consisted of Samantha Graham, Tom Pyle and Dylan Stewart:

Samantha commented: "So many hours of work have gone into producing this Anthology, both from myself, Tom, and Dylan and from our peers whose brilliant writing is featured within it, and I couldn’t be prouder of the book that we have collectively created. Overseeing and managing this project has been the highlight of my postgraduate experience and I’m so glad to have been able to celebrate the completion of it at the launch event last month."

Tom added: "Being part of the editorial trio for The Manchester Anthology 2025 has been a challenge and a privilege. Seeing the work that it takes to get a book to print, having complete creative control over the process but most importantly being able to showcase the range of talent from the writers in this MA cohort; people who we’ve sat in workshops with and watched develop throughout the year. To have this book as a marker in the sand feels appropriate and, personally, gives me a lot of satisfaction."

Past contributors to The Manchester Anthology have gone on to become successful established authors: Beth Underdown’s debut novel, The Witchfinder’s Sister, was a Richard and Judy bestseller; Alys Conran was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize for her debut novel, Pigeon; Nat Ogle, author of In The Seeing Hands of Others, was shortlisted for The White Review Poet's Prize; Joe Carrick-Varty’s collection, More Sky, was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize; Thomas D. Lee’s novel, Perilous Times, was a Sunday Times bestseller; Jessica Moor was named one of the ten best debut novelists of 2020 by Observer New Review, and was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize.

Associate Dean for Business Engagement, Civic & Cultural Partnerships , Professor Richard Allmendinger introduced the nominees from each school.

The winners, announced by Maggie Gale, were: 

Alliance Manchester Business School 

• Prof Jian-Bo Yang & Prof Dong‑Ling Xu, for their KTP with Kennedys to develop and embed an intelligent data driven fraud prevention and detection service for insurance claim handling, utilising modern machine learning, text analytics and semantic technologies. 

School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 

• Prof Eithne Quinn, for work on racial bias in the judicial system enabled through a Simon Industrial & Professional Fellowship project undertaken by Keir Monteith KC, which  has received significant media coverage and follow-on projects in related areas. 

School of Social Sciences 

• Prof Emma Barrett for a Simon Industrial & Professional Fellowship with Limina Immersive “Building a safer Metaverse: Exploring the challenges faced by industry in developing safe, secure and ethical immersive experiences”.  The project supported a successful £80K SPRITE+ funding bid for a deep dive expected to result in a step change in our industry engagement around XR and fostered new cross-disciplinary and external collaborations. 

School of Environment, Education & Development 

• Dr Emma Shuttleworth For collaborating with key stakeholders, including the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Groundwork Greater Manchester, to lead KTPs that have developed a data-driven framework for innovative sustainable water management in the Irwell catchment and optimised the long-term financial health of the Groundwork Trust. 

At the end of the Awards ceremony Richard Allmendinger announced the launch of a seed-funding call for academics across the faculty to submit bids for up to £7k to support early-stage development of collaborative projects with partners. Full information on the call available .

The full list of nominated projects: 

Alliance Manchester Business School 

• Dr Arijit De, Associate Professor in Management Science  For his work in establishing Maritime Engineering and Management as a new cluster theme at UoM, including work with Port of Dover, DFDS, Ship & Bunker, Sealand and Smart Green Shipping building a substantial portfolio of research in maritime, port, and freight logistics with these partners, a REF Impact Case Study in freight and maritime logistics is in development.
• Prof Yu-wang Chen, Professor of Decision Sciences and Business Analytics  KTP – - the largest KTP awarded by Innovate UK.
• Dr Pedro Sampaio, Senior Lecturer in Information Systems  KTP – - to design, develop and embed an Industry 4.0 inspired data driven business model and management information framework which will support the company's strategic vision of expansion.
• Prof David Hughes, Professor of Personality and Organisational Psychology & Nadia Papamichail, Professor of Decision Systems & Management Sciences  KTP - to create sustainable growth and productivity improvement by combining behavioural psychology profiling and emotional regulation with advanced data science techniques to tackle complex work processes and transform the way JLG engages, supports its clients and staff through the legal frameworks. DH was shortlisted for Academic of the Year at the 2025 KTP Awards.
• Prof Brian Nicholson, Professor of Business Information Systems & Dr Sung Hwan Chai, Lecturer in Accounting KTP: - To develop, embed and exploit advanced smart data driven technologies to deliver digital transformation within the audit function significantly increasing quality, productivity and capacity to deliver additional insight and value to clients.
• Prof Judy Zolkiewski, Professor of Marketing  KTP projects - . To create a smarter business that is both client-driven whilst also enhancing improved employee interactions, within a unified customer-centric framework that can support product and service innovation.
• Prof Jian-Bo Yang, Professor of Decision and System Sciences & Prof Ling (Dong‑Ling) Xu, Chair Professor of Decision Science and Systems  KTP - AMBS & Kennedys to develop and embed an i and detection service to support insurance claim handling utilising modern machine learning, text analytics techniques and semantic technologies, that can shape and add value to business. 

School of Arts, Languages and Cultures  

• Prof Eithne Quinn, Professor of Cultural and Socio‑legal Studies  For work on racial bias in the judicial system enabled through a undertaken by Keir Monteith KC which has received significant media coverage and led to a follow-on project on mis-use of lyrics in rap music in criminal court cases.
• Prof Steve Scott-Bottoms, Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance - Finding the Story ARC: Engaging businesses with climate resilience in Yorkshire’s Aire valley  IAA 496 Advance - The Rivalry Project: Extending Stakeholder Engagement with Climate Resilience in the Catchment of the Aire
• Dr Kostas Arvanitis, Senior Lecturer in Museology  - Therapeutic Impact of Physical, Digital and Virtual Collections of Trauma.
• Dr Kostas Arvanitis, Senior Lecturer in Museology & Dr Andy Hardman, Senior Lecturer in Creative and Cultural Practices  KTP - SALC & Port Sunlight Village Trust - creating and embedding a framework and tool-kit underpinned by museological and critical heritage research to transform the ways in which PSVT manages and interprets its history, site and collections.
• Prof Sasha Handley, Professor of Early Modern History  Salford Community Leisure - - Sleeping Well Salford: Using Historic Sleep Practices to Support Health and Social Care Pathways. 

School of Environment, Education & Development 

• Dr Emma Shuttleworth, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography  Working collaboratively with a number of key stakeholders on environmental sustainability projects including Environment Agency, and leading on KTPs with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Groundwork Trust to create and embed a data driven catchment management framework that will drive innovative evidence-based sustainable water management within the Irwell catchment and optimise long-term financial health for Groundwork Greater Manchester.
• Dr Sophie van Huellen, Senior Lecturer in Development Economics   - Why Ghanaian farmers have been unable to capitalise on record cocoa prices with Fuad Mohammed Abubakar, Managing Head of the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Company (UK) Ltd.
• Dr Joanne Tippett, Lecturer in Spatial Planning  Manchester UNESCO Creative City of Literature IAA 425 Secondment - Imagining sustainable futures: self-facilitated learning from heritage through art and play in UNESCO-designated sites. Shortlisted for ‘Transformative Social Venture of the Year’ award at the KEUK Awards 2024. 

“The RoundView is a powerful way to activate and build capacity in UNESCO’s core competencies for sustainability leadership”. James Ömer Bridge, Secretary-General of UNESCO UK. 

“The Secondment demonstrated that the RoundView learning toolkit offers great promise to address a key challenge we experience as UNESCO sites, of linking our work to sustainable development… and enabling us to translate SDG 13 Climate Action into an accessible activity. A key finding from the Secondment was that the ‘poetry as pedagogy’ incorporated into the toolkit helps encourage sustainability learning through literature, a key need for both us as Cities of Literature and our library partners.” Ivan Wadeson, Executive Director of Manchester UNESCO City of Literature.

• Dr Nuno Pinto, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning and Urban Design  For demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation through the establishment and continued development of the MSc Data Science student industry-project programme. His dedication has transformed the initiative into a thriving platform for student engagement and real-world impact, with its success growing year on year. Nuno’s commitment to expanding the programme is evident in his active collaboration with fellow academics, fostering the creation of similar opportunities across other schools. His work exemplifies the spirit of business engagement and makes him a worthy nominee for the Faculty of Humanities Business Engagement award.
• Prof Sarah Marie Hall, Professor in Human Geography  with Manchester Central Foodbank  IAA 468 Relationship Development - Developing community-led, anti-poverty research capacity.  IAA 503 Proof of Concept - Developing Manchester’s Anti-Poverty Research Community: Co-Producing Grassroots Collaborations for Positive Social Change. Winner of UoM in the Outstanding public engagement initiative: Local/civic engagement category
• Prof Nicola Banks, Professor of Global Development   - Activating citizen philanthropy for community-centred social justice: piloting a One World Together Global Citizenship curriculum for secondary schools.
• Prof Alison Browne, Professor of Geography   - the project brings together data analytics and social science insights to develop a Water Practices Analytical Toolkit for use in the water industry, offering a unique approach for managing the sustainability of water and influencing the UK’s long-term usage, average and peak water demands. 

School of Social Sciences 

• Prof Tine Buffel, Professor of Sociology and Social Gerontology  Age Friendly Manchester (Manchester City Council)  IAA 401 Secondment - Developing age-friendly communities to support healthy ageing: Exploring the potential of a policy innovation partnership between public agencies and faith-based organisations in Greater Manchester.
• Prof Emma Barrett, Professor of Psychology, Security and Trust  Simon Industrial & Professional Fellowship with Limina Immersive “Building a safer Metaverse: Exploring the challenges faced by industry in developing safe, secure and ethical immersive experiences”.  The SIF project supported a successful £80K SPRITE+ funding bid for a deep dive expected to result in a step change in our industry engagement around XR and fostered new cross-disciplinary and external collaborations. The work also informed EB’s presentation at the Home Office Digital Forensics Conference in June 2025, alongside Innovate UK. 

One of the highlights was Professor John McAuliffe, Creative Manchester’s Platform Director, taking part in the panel discussion “Civic, Creative and Cultural: University Collaboration”. The session brought together members of the , including Professor Kirsty Fairclough (School of Digital Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University), Dr Sam Ingleson (University of Salford) and Professor Wiebke Thormählen (Royal Northern College of Music). Together, they demonstrated how universities are helping to create a more connected, creative and equitable city-region through strategic partnerships and cultural engagement.

Creative Manchester also invited three PhD students and their supervisors along to BEYOND for their CreaTech Student Research Showcase. The showcase, located among many other exciting product and research demos in the Immersive Futures Lab, featured the students’ PhD research and celebrated the University of Manchester’s vibrant postgraduate research community. These projects show how creative technology can tackle real-world challenges across diverse industries:

•  - PhD in Electroacoustic Music Composition
  Stream of Strings explores embodied music cognition, blending cultural heritage with creative technology to create motion-responsive performances and visual works. The project reimagines the ancient Chinese Guqin as an interactive instrument for live performance and public engagement. She is supervised by .

•  - PhD in Electroacoustic Music Composition
  Data Sonification for Algorithm Behaviour uses sonification, the mapping of non-auditory data into sound, to better understand how optimisation algorithms work. This approach advances mathematical research while inspiring educational tools and musical compositions. He is also supervised by Professor Ricardo Climent.

•  - PhD in Computer Science
  ReflectanceFusion is a neural text-to-texture model that generates editable, relightable materials from text prompts. It enables precise control of physical attributes, producing highly accurate textures for rendering and material design. He is supervised by . 

The showcase sparked lively conversations among attendees, with many playing the Guqin virtually via a Leap Motion Controller and others listening to the beats generated by algorithms being solved in real time. Not only did the students get to practise their pitching skills, but they also found partners for onward collaboration and learning. It was great to see how the next generation of researchers and business partners can come together and seize opportunities for R&D.

More content from BEYOND 2025 will be shared soon, but  to get an idea of the atmosphere at this special conference. 

Tell us a bit about yourself and the roles you have had at the University over the past 20 years

After I finished my master's degree, I worked as a Research Assistant for three years in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. I then joined the Faculty of Life Sciences IT team in a projects and planning support role – it was during this time that I became a PRINCE2 practitioner and developed my project management skills. Following this, I came back to SALC as a project manager of research projects. In parallel, I spent 15 years in self-employed roles – firstly as a freelance web designer, and then 10 years as co-director of an events company. The company stopped operating during the pandemic and it was then that I turned my hand to writing children’s books. In 2022 I began working for Creative Manchester in my current communications and engagement position which brought together the different skillsets I have gained over my career so far.

Looking to the future, what are your plans once you leave the University?

Once I leave the University, I will be taking some time to do the things I find fulfilling and that spur me on creatively – reading, walking, spending time in nature, letting my mind be calm and allowing it to wander. Of course, I hope to get a lot of writing done, and I will be working hard promoting my school and library visits.

After 20 years, what will you miss most about working at the University of Manchester?

I am going to miss my Creative Manchester colleagues so much! I feel very lucky to have spent the past few years with such a lovely group of people. I will also miss seeing the campus in the autumn, when I think it is particularly beautiful, and being able to have a quick look around Manchester Museum or the Whitworth Art Gallery on my lunch break.

What is your favourite Creative Manchester memory?

That’s a tough question as there are lots of lovely memories. Event-wise, probably the Bicentenary weekend, which was a big team effort with a fun atmosphere (and lots of Diet Coke). Another highlight was attending the AMA conferences in Brighton and Edinburgh with the team. Lastly, I have enjoyed working with Manchester Museum and the Linguistic Diversity Collective on developing and promoting a language trail for children.

How has your time with Creative Manchester prepared you for the next phase in your career?

I’ve had the chance to refine my skills in communications and marketing during my time with Creative Manchester, which I will take forward in promoting my books and my school visits.

Finally, what literature is keeping you inspired at the moment?

I am currently halfway through book four of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan – it's a very long series which I should finish in about a year or so. I like to read across different genres, but the world-building found in fantasy really tickles my imagination. I was also recently given a book on the history of vampires, which I know will inspire me for a future project.

ROGER LING, Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology

It is very sad to report that Roger Ling, a distinguished member of the Art History staff at the University of Manchester for more than 50 years - as lecturer, senior lecturer, Professor, and emeritus - died at the beginning of November after a long illness.  During much of that time the Department had expanded to its maximum extent in terms of personnel and breadth of interests, which extended from the classical to modern periods. But early on it was Roger who for a number of years singlehandedly saw to the teaching of ancient and classical art at all undergraduate and postgraduate levels, until he was joined by colleagues with interests in early Greece and pre-Roman Italy, as well as in Minoan and Egyptian art, enabling him to concentrate more on the Roman world.                 

Roger was, in international terms, a leading historian of ancient Roman art and architecture. His deep knowledge of Pompeii originated from his PhD on stuccowork in Roman Italy, and he went on to publish many books on related topics, including Roman painting (on which he wrote the standard English textbook), and mosaics - he was also a frequent contributor to the journal Mosaic which focused on the rich material of Roman Britain. But Roger’s lasting monument is the four-volume Insula of the Menander at Pompeii published by Oxford University Press, to which his wife Lesley, who died three years before him, was a major contributor and was co-author of volume 2 (on the wall decorations). This housing block occupied a large residential space in the ancient town and encompassed a number of dwellings along with various service areas. As well as meticulous recording of archaeological detail, the Menander volumes offer a fascinating human history concerning the different social classes that inhabited the various parts of the insula at different periods, from the impoverished to families of the highest rank.    

For all the time that he worked at Manchester, Roger and Lesley lived a characteristically austere life in beautiful but remote parts of the High Peak near Buxton. Internet receptivity could never be relied on. Without a television, Roger would go over to friends and neighbours, or the local pub, to follow his favourite team, Watford FC. Without a car, he would ski across the fields in winter to the local station at Chapel-en-le-Frith to catch the Manchester train in time for his early morning lectures. Occasionally he would sleep over in his office in the department if the weather got too bad for the return journey. But with a knowing smile, Roger remained cheerful and imperturbable in almost all circumstances. Only departmental meetings succeeded in disturbing his equilibrium.

The Creative Manchester-affiliated projects featured in the videos are:

• – with Dr Anke Bernau, Dr Aurora Fredriksen and Dr Ingrid Hanson
• – with Dr Riza Batista-Navarro and Dr Tom Flavel
• – with Prof Laura Black and Keisha Thompson
• – with Dr Ahu Gümrah Parry

These short films provide insights into the world of interdisciplinary research, including project team composition, the participants’ experiences of interdisciplinary work and working with the Creative Manchester platform. They are designed to inspire potential interdisciplinary pump-priming applicants who are looking to find out more about successful interdisciplinary research projects.

Through 25 interviews, and two stakeholder roundtables with senior leaders, emerging leaders, and employment support practitioners from cultural institutions of different sizes, the research sought to highlight the perspectives of the sector, whilst identifying sector-needs in terms of building a more equitable and diverse leadership cohort.

The study’s key findings reveal that despite the widespread uptake of EDI initiatives and workforce development interventions, there are still stark inequalities around diversity and leadership in Manchester. The issues range from challenges diversifying the leadership cohort; to problems attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds; to widespread experiences of isolation in leadership; to skills gaps relating to fundraising, digitalisation, and pastoral support; to mental health issues and the wider care crisis; to challenges around responding to polarised political debates. 

The study highlights how this is a sector which not only acknowledges these problems, but they are also pushing forward numerous initiatives, policies, and workstreams in their endeavours to cultivate workplaces where minoritised groups can thrive. Yet, the conversations also indicate how the sector is faced by innumerable wider structural and cultural barriers, as detailed in the report.

This is a difficult context. However, despite the ongoing structural challenges facing the sector, something needs to be done. This report puts forward five key recommendations which offer a route to broadscale positive change in Manchester’s cultural industry. These recommendations make use of several Manchester-specific opportunities - namely, the close-knit ties between organisations, the context and tone of the new cultural strategy, and the desire for deeper cross-institutional collaboration around EDI.

Recommendations

1. Encourage a new network of cultural leaders – this network should take a focus on including and developing minoritised leaders and organisations in Manchester.
2. Create a formalised Manchester mentorship scheme – to focus on including leaders from diverse backgrounds, and facilitated by collaborative efforts between the new network of cultural leaders, the Always Everywhere Arts HR Working Group, and the Oxford Road Corridor culture network.
3. Facilitate joined-up coaching provision across cultural organisations - as part of the commitments of the new cultural leader’s network and The Manchester Cultural Consortium – sharing skills, expertise, and building networks for emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds.
4. Mid to high-level training schemes/placements for emerging leaders – supported by Manchester higher education providers and skills development providers in the city, including Factory Academy and others. Training should take a focus on supporting leaders from diverse backgrounds, understanding their specific development needs, and creating bespoke and tailored programmes of support.
5. Develop a joined-up EDI model – creating frameworks for organisations to home in on and share expertise in specific areas of EDI and workforce support.

Curran-Troop, H (2025). . The University of Manchester/Creative Manchester.

We are delighted to share this Special Issue on video art, the first Special Issue brought together by art history students as part of our art history blog, Dispatches in Art History, here at the The University of Manchester.

The theme was chosen by students, and was also shared in a 'video art showcase' event in February this year, organised by then-third year art history student Francesca Boulad.

Fran introduces the Special Issue here:

It features four posts:

1)
Second year Art History student Leni Cadle considers an undersea dystopia in digital video work by Migues Soares

2 )
Fran investigates the strange argument that seems to unfold as this iconic video work progresses - how should we feel in the encounter with this video artwork?

3)  
Second-year student Leni Cadle grapples with fast food realities and manipulated desires in video work by Ed Atkins

4)
Digital Humanities Lecturer (and editor of Dispatches in Art History) Claire Reddleman reflects on treasuring 'crap' content from the early internet (with music from Cutting Crew)

The , funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and led by Northumbria University, has extended its signature award, the , for a new 2025-26 cohort. This represents an investment of nearly £500,000 to catalyse place-based innovation across all 4 nations of the UK research ecosystem.

The AHRC Creative Communities programme examines the role of culture and devolution in unlocking cross sector co-creation and place-based innovation across all 4 nations of the UK.

AHRC Executive Chair Professor Christopher Smith said:

Ruth Flanagan is an artist who has been working with Creative Manchester partner organisation, Cartwheel Arts, with diverse communities in Rochdale to deliver craft and heritage projects. During 2025-2026, Ruth will work as Community Innovation Practitioner (CIP), along with University of Manchester researchers through Creative Manchester and the School of Arts Languages and Cultures to introduce a research framework to her work finding connections through diverse communities through craft traditions.

is one of six new UK CIPs across a spectrum of projects that represent the rich cross-sector community research and inclusive innovation that is catalysing growth.

In partnership with Cartwheel Arts and national organisation Heritage Crafts UK, and working closely with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, this project draws on the history and legacy of Manchester’s Co-Operative movement by using crafting methods to promote resilience, belonging and cultural engagement in diverse communities in Rochdale (which is Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture 2025).

Ruth Flanagan said of the award:

About the Community Innovation Practitioner Awards

This is a major investment in place-based innovation and cross-sector research partnerships across the devolved nations and regions of the UK. Each CIP will work in their devolved policy context to explore how co-created cultural innovation can enhance belonging, address regional inequality, deliver devolution and break down barriers to opportunity.

The CIPs will generate vital new knowledge about co-creation and the unique role played by their communities and partnerships in growth through new research, development and innovation (RD&I).

Each CIP will produce a , and an episode of the to share learning from their community and cultural partners. Together, the CIPs will form a Community of Practice network with the aim of fostering new relationships and sharing innovative practice.

Funding has been awarded to six new CIPs across a spectrum of projects that represent the rich cross-sector community research and inclusive innovation that is catalysing growth in all 4 nations of the UK.

About Creative Communities

is a £3.9m major research programme based at Northumbria University in Newcastle. It builds a new evidence base on how cultural devolution can enhance belonging, address regional inequality, deliver devolution and break down barriers to opportunity for communities in devolved settings across all four nations of the UK.

For more information you can also visit the .

In September, coinciding with Japan Week 2025, we had the opportunity to hear an international perspective on creative health as we welcomed colleagues from the from the Art & Wellbeing aa-TOMO programme - an innovative and ambitious 10-year creative health and cultural prescribing research programme led by the National Centre for Art Research in Japan and the Tokyo University of the Arts. Aa-TOMO is currently rolling out cultural prescribing programmes across local government areas in Japan, in partnership with a range of organisations including museums, universities, healthcare providers and private industry.

This visit builds on previous exchange of ideas between Greater Manchester and aa-TOMO, exploring the innovative ways in which museums and galleries are using their collections and expertise to support health and wellbeing and how this can be supported by research and in policy – including the translation of the Greater Manchester Creative Health Strategy into Japanese.

UK and Japan in conversation

Manchester Museum hosted a public panel discussion where we were able to hear more about the creative health work taking place in Japan. Sawako Inaniwa, Senior Curator of Learning, National Centre for Art Research, introduced Creative Ageing ZUTTOBI – a pioneering collaborative project led by Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Tokyo University of the Arts supporting people of all ages to stay connected to art and museums, in response to the challenges of an ageing society. 

ZUTTOBI brings health and welfare professionals into museums to codesign participatory opportunities for older adults and people living with dementia. The programmes provide participants with enjoyment and a sense of purpose, a chance to share feelings and memories inspired by the artwork, and the opportunity to connect and interact with others, helping to prevent isolation and cognitive decline.

The concept of cultural prescribing was introduced to a wider audience through the “Hello Future! 100-Year Museum”, exhibition at EXPO 2025 in Osaka. Takashi Kiriyama, Dean of the Graduate School of Film and New Media at Tokyo University of the Arts, described how the exhibition not only provided an opportunity for the public to engage with the concept of cultural prescribing, and to explore their own use of arts and culture to support wellbeing, it also demonstrated the innovative use of technology in creative health. The exhibition employed NFC tagging to allow visitors to instantly upload pictures from their smartphones to the exhibition, also providing the research team with metadata to support subsequent analysis.

From Greater Manchester, Julie McCarthy, Strategic Lead for Creative Health at Greater Manchester Integrated Care (NHS GM) and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) introduced the GM Creative Health Place Partnership, a 3-year programme that will deliver the aims of the GM Creative Health Strategy through a series of test-and learn programmes and a focus on embedding creative health within the health and social care system. Charlotte Leonhardsen, Programme Manager for Social Prescribing within the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, described the social prescribing infrastructure across GM’s ten boroughs and the potential for creative and cultural prescriptions to support people with complex or long-term health conditions, or at risk of social isolation.

As a panel we discussed with the audience the benefits to individuals and communities when we can provide opportunities for people to engage with creativity and culture across their life-course. We also recognised common challenges such as measuring and demonstrating impact of the work, developing a shared understanding across health and cultural sectors and ensuring that creative health addresses rather than reinforces health inequalities.

International knowledge exchange opportunities

It was clear from our conversations throughout the visit that although the national contexts may be different, our approaches to creative health research have much in common. Creative health brings together interdisciplinary research fields and cross sectoral partners and can be a catalyst for developing new approaches to collaborative research with strategic partners and alongside cultural institutions and community-based organisations. 

In Japan, Tokyo University of the Arts co-ordinates over 40 partners as part of the Arts-based Communication Platform for Co-Creation to Build a Convivial Society, which aims to foster a society where everyone can express themselves through art communication that integrates welfare, healthcare, and technology. The National Art Research Centre is working with museums and cultural institutions, as well as health and welfare groups and local governments to explore how cultural resources can become spaces that support wellbeing and social change.

Similarly, in Greater Manchester a wide range of stakeholders are involved in creative health research, policy and practice. A key function of the new Research Associate in Knowledge Mobilisation post, based at the University of Manchester, is to map interdisciplinary research feeds into creative health and facilitate new opportunities for further collaboration across Greater Manchester’s universities and with policymakers and communities. We are working closely GMCA to evaluate the GM Creative Health Place Partnership and to identify the conditions necessary to sustainably embed creativity and culture into the health and social care system.

We will continue our relationship with our colleagues from Tokyo University of the Arts, pushing forward creative health research through international collaboration. Specifically, we discussed working together to explore opportunities for createch in creative health, drawing on Greater Manchester’s expertise in social prescribing to inform the cultural prescribing model, and sharing experiences around knowledge mobilisation across research, policy and practice. 

We hope to arrange a reciprocal visit to see creative health in action in Japan next year. Watch this space for further updates!

This co-funded initiative responds to a critical shortfall in the digital infrastructure underpinning humanitarian and global health research. With a combined investment of £608k, this 12-month scoping and research programme will mobilise international partnerships, develop rescue mechanisms for endangered datasets, and conduct vital inquiry to establish ethical triage frameworks to safeguard records.

A Unified Response to a Growing Crisis

Recent funding shifts have triggered sharp declines in , including the recent disbanding of , the abolition of , and cuts to Sweden’s , which were essential supporters of the knowledge infrastructure of humanitarian aid. 

These funding cuts threaten access to essential records and archives, such as:

• Demographic health surveys covering 763 million people most at risk
• Records of attacks on healthcare and education
• Food security and other essential health-related datasets

Without urgent intervention, decades of digital archives and records that should be held and protected by UN agencies, NGOs, and faith-based organisations risk permanent erasure. This will not only significantly undermine the possibility of conducting future research but also threaten evidence-based operational decision-making and accountability.

Over the next year, HAE will deploy a global coalition of archives and essential records stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive scoping exercise of at-risk archives, records, and datasets. The team will also develop a crowdsourcing tool that serves as a resilient early-warning system using technical processes for digital recovery and preservation. 

The research agenda will consider how to address colonial power dynamics in the politics of humanitarian archiving. Their aim is for these activities to culminate in a roadmap for sustainable research infrastructure to ensure long-term preservation and protection beyond this initial phase.

“Preserving Memory Is Preserving Humanity”

, Principal Investigator and co-founder of the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute at The University of Manchester, commented:

Collaborative Expertise and Global Reach

The HAE consortium draws expertise from key international stakeholders, from leaders in the academic, NGO, digital preservation and humanitarian sectors. The group will collaborate via a coalition board to ensure the perspectives and expertise of all are reflected in the activities of the initiative. 

These stakeholders include:

•  (storage and redundancy)
•  and  (technical guidance)
• ,  and regional specialists (consultancy and field networks)
•  (curation and ethics)
•  (data rescue and access).

For further details on the project, please contact: 

• Professor Bertrand Taithe, Principal Investigator, HAE, Director of Research, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester
• Dr Stephanie Rinald, Coalition Coordinator, HAE, Research Programmes Manager, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester

(lecturer of modern and contemporary British Art) will introduce how Mumtaz Karimjee engaged with the politics of the photographic image while documenting queer Black feminist activism.

In 1987, the photographer Mumtaz Karimjee published an article titled ‘Black and Asian: Definitions and Redefinitions’ in the British South-Asian grassroots publication, Mukti. Correia will discuss how Karimjee considered the terms ‘Black’ and ‘Asian’ in relation to her own identity and the ways in which these terms were used inclusively and exclusively according to different contexts and settings. 

Correia will introduce how Karimjee utilised photography as a mode of social activism while moving between South-Asian and politically-Black contexts to express her social and political concerns and solidarities. Correia will highlight Karimjee’s groundbreaking work picturing anti-racist campaigns for social justice and queer Black activism amidst Section 28 and the AIDS crisis.

Expect thought-provoking discussions, critical perspectives, and inspiring insights into visual culture, identity, and representation.

Visualising the Histories of Black Britain

The Photographers’ Gallery, 16–18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW 
Thursday, 19 September 2025
12pm – 5pm
.

Creative Manchester Director, Professor John McAuliffe, said of the appointments:

The newly appointed Deputy Director, Dr Constance Smith, will work closely with Director, Professor John McAuliffe, the broader Creative Manchester team and management board to develop and coordinate activity across three core research themes, with a focus on internal stakeholders, advancing and coordinating interdisciplinary research and cross-School working.

is a Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures in the Faculty of Humanities. Her research focus is the anthropology of architecture, time and urban change. She is interested in shifting landscapes of buildings, planning and infrastructure and how their materialities inflect ways of engaging with the past and anticipating the future.

Professor John McAuliffe commented:

The Research Theme Leads will work with the senior leadership team to further develop and help coordinate activity across their respective core research themes. They will convene and grow the Platform’s interdisciplinary research communities with both University and external partners, to address strategic opportunities.

Creative Manchester is pleased to announce that Dr Stephen Hicks has been re-appointed as Research Theme Lead for Creativity, Health and Wellbeing. Creative Manchester are also thrilled that Dr Riza Batista-Navarro will formally take up the Research Theme Lead role for Creative Industries and Innovation, following her work as maternity cover for former Research Lead Dr Claudia Henninger. Finally, Creative Manchester looks forward to welcoming Dr Anke Bernau to the academic team as Research Theme Lead for Civic and Creative Futures.

is a Senior Lecturer in Text Mining at the School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Her research focusses on the development of natural language processing methods for information extraction, explainable text classification, machine reading comprehension and language modelling. She has led a number of inter-disciplinary text mining projects, in which she developed computational approaches together with collaborators from various domains such as biomedicine, biodiversity, sustainability and online safety.

is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work (FBMH) and also a member of the Morgan Centre for Research into Everyday Lives. He has been the Creativity, Health and Wellbeing Research Lead for Creative Manchester since 2022 and has a professional background in child care/protection as a qualified and registered social worker. Steve has been involved in research projects on: LGBTQ parenting; social care and housing needs of older LGBTQ people; communities, neighbourhoods and belonging in modernist housing; and an interdisciplinary project on concerns about air quality/pollution and impact on local communities and environments. He has also been a volunteer in HIV/Aids services; homelessness support for young men and LGBTQ people; and LGBTQ adopters and foster-carers.

is a Senior Lecturer in Medieval Literature and Culture at the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures in the Faculty of Humanities. She has worked on a diverse range of topics, including female virginity, poetics, aesthetics, material culture and environmental humanities. She is particularly interested in recent work emerging out of Critical Plant Studies and is co-editing a special issue on 'Plant Temporalities', as well as a volume on the global cultural history of 'nature' in the Middle Ages.

Professor John McAuliffe reflects:

Creative Manchester is looking forward to working with Drs Constance Smith, Stephen Hicks, Riza Batista-Navarro and Anke Bernau, and would like to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Drs Claudia Henninger and Jenna Ashton for their important and impactful work as Research Theme Leads at Creative Manchester since 2022.

The and the are delighted to invite you to a landmark event marking eight decades of research, training, and impact in Occupational Health at The University of Manchester.

• Date: Wednesday 1st October 2025
• Venue: 18th floor, Hyatt Regency, 55 Booth St W, Manchester M15 6PQ
• Time: 13:00 – 20:00 BST (multi part event - see important info below)
• Register: Register on Eventbrite

From lightning talks and panel discussions to the prestigious Lane Lecture — delivered this year by Professor Malcolm Sim on The Artificial Stone Silicosis Epidemic: Lessons Learned for More Effective Prevention, and introduced by Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester — this is a unique opportunity to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and shape the future of occupational health.

Secure your free place now: (registration closes 24/09/2025)

Important: 

• The event is divided into multiple sessions. Please ensure you select tickets for each part that you wish to attend.
• Due to capacity, attendees without a valid ticket for a specific session may be asked to leave that part of the event.
• View the Full Programme (PDF):
• Accessibility & Queries: If you have any queries, or need to discuss a PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan) or other adjustments to support your attendance, please email: ashton@manchester.ac.uk

Keir was appointed as a SALC in 2022.

Along with Eithne Quinn, SALC’s Professor of Cultural and Socio-Legal Studies, Keir was lead author of the report . A follow-up report this year will coincide with the end of the 5-year Judicial Inclusion & Diversity Strategy.

Keir has worked closely with Creative Manchester since 2023, under its Creative and Civic Futures banner – particularly in relation to the AHRC project, on which Keir was Lead External Advisor.

He was recognised as newspaper earlier this year.

Keir is a part time Criminal Court Judge, a judicial tutor and is a leading silk who represents clients facing heavyweight criminal allegations. He has been instructed in numerous murders, industrial scale Class A drug importations and conspiracies, escape from custody cases and appeals against conviction and sentence. Keir is ranked for criminal law in Chambers UK and the Legal 500 and was shortlisted for Financial Silk of the Year at Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024. He practices from Garden Court Chambers, is a SHiFT trustee and a member of the JUSTICE Council. Keir acted as counsel for Ade Adedeji in the historic Manchester 10 appeal, leading to the quashing of Ade's wrongful conviction. He also drafted the CCRC application for the Moss Side miscarriage of justice case.

Keir is a founding member of Art Not Evidence campaign, launched to advocate for a limitation on the use of creative expression as evidence in criminal trials. 

Keir and Professor Eithne Quinn, jointly authored the ground breaking report . In early 2025, they both made a submission to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts on the issue of racial bias. A follow-up report this year will coincide with the conclusion of the 5-year Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Keir also assisted in advising on aspects of the University of Manchester report 'Compound Injustice' authored by Professor Eithne Quinn, Erica Cane, and Will Pritchard.

(Lecturer of modern and contemporary British Art) will lead a conversation about the Goan artist Francis Newton Souza at Bradford Cathedral on Friday 3rd October 2025.

In Conversation: F N Souza in Focus has been organised to accompany the exhibition Jesus- Guru, Avatar, God? at Bradford Cathedral, organised by the Methodist Modern Art Collection (5 September -12 October 2025). 

The exhibition features two works, The Crucifixion by Francis N Souza, and Dalit Madonna by Jyoti Sahi, and considers Christianity from South Asian perspectives.

Born in Goa in 1924, FN Souza lived and worked in London during the 1940s and 50s, before moving to New York in 1967. Alice Correia will introduce his work with the context of British modernist painting and consider his preoccupation with Christian imagery.

Throughout his career, Souza painted multiple Crucifixion scenes, including the work acquired by the Methodist Modern Art Collection in 1962. 

Correia will reflect on the hybrid Catholic visual culture that developed in Goa – a former Portuguese colony on the west-coast of India – during the 16th and 17th centuries, and will consider the possible impact of Goa’s Baroque ecclesiastical architecture on Souza’s work.

Event Details

• Name: In Conversation: F N Souza in Focus
• Location: Bradford Cathedral
• Date and Time: Friday 3 October, 6-9pm
• Reserve your spot on the website.

The 2025 programme is here, featuring global bestsellers, radical thinkers and powerful poets.

We’re especially excited for the and partnership events:

The members’ presale is happening now – set your alarm for 10am on Thursday 14 August, when tickets go on general sale.

The interns were tasked with creating a short documentary about community arts projects in North Manchester. This year's focus was on a mural project, where shop shutters and walls in Moston and Harpurhey were transformed into vibrant pieces of art. The goal was to reframe the negative perceptions of the area and highlight the resilient and positive community spirit.

During the project, the students faced various challenges, including technical issues and the need to quickly learn new skills. Despite these hurdles, they found the experience rewarding and gained valuable insights into filmmaking and community engagement. The documentary aimed to showcase the positive aspects of the community and what can be done to further support it.

The students expressed their gratitude to the Moston and Harpurhey communities for their cooperation, and to the SICK! team for their guidance. They also acknowledged the support of their mentors, Fresh RB who played a crucial role in the project's success.

The documentary was presented to staff and students from the University of Manchester and members of the SICK! and Fresh RB teams. The interns received positive feedback for their commitment and the quality of their work. The project not only provided them with practical skills but also a deeper understanding of the importance of community and storytelling.

One of the interns reflected:

Each student intern was asked at the presentation to choose one word to describe their experience:

• Enlightening
• Lesson
• Collaborative
• Meaningful
• Hopeful
• Inspiring

The SICK! continues to be a platform for creative collaboration, and this project exemplifies the positive impact that such partnerships can have on both students and the local community.

Dr Claire Fox, SoSS EDI Director, expressed her enthusiasm:

Dr Sheena Kalayil, SALC EDI Director, also praised the interns:

The event, held at Aviva Studios, featured three sessions exploring the intersection of research and the arts and brought together researchers, artists, and cultural leaders.

The showcase opened with a session on the research of Creative Manchester’s Innovation Fellows who shared insights from their work with Manchester City Council and Factory International. 

Dr Hannah Curran-Troop addressed workforce diversity and talent development in the creative industries, alongside representative Sarah Elderkin. Dr Tasos Asonitis and Gabby Jenks () presented their work on a CreaTech project in collaboration with Factory International’s Digital Team, which researches digital skill gaps for artists and people working in the creative industries and will result in a toolkit for new digital artists that facilitates access to new technology supporting creative processes.

The second session spotlighted the “First Breath” PhD research project.

Postgraduate researchers Leanne Cook and Lizzie Lagan, alongside their Principal Investigator Prof Pamela Qualter, discussed the impact of arts-based activities on the emotional and social development of preschool children and their parents.

The final panel, , marked the launch of a new initiative between and The University of Manchester. As ENO prepares to establish a new base in Greater Manchester by 2029, Tuning into Opera is new research and engagement initiative from English National Opera and The University of Manchester, exploring what it means to have a national opera company based in Greater Manchester. 

The session explored the future of opera in the region through community engagement and cultural dialogue. It began with a welcome by ENO Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon and an introduction to the research plan of Tuning Into Opera by Research Associate Dr Kamila Rymajdo. 

This was followed by an in-conversation with Manchester-based electronic opera makers Devon Bonelli and Joshua Inyang (Space Afrika), as well as an interview with the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of Angel’s Bone, Du Yun.

The event concluded with a poetic summary and reflections of the afternoon, delivered by artist Saf Elsenossi (SAF-S2E).

In keeping with ’s theme to ‘Dream Differently’ the Creative Manchester Showcase was a joyful celebration of the innovative and interdisciplinary research facilitated by the Platform and our partnerships with external stakeholders from across Greater Manchester and beyond.

, lecturer of modern and contemporary British Art, has curated the first retrospective consideration of Mumtaz Karimjee’s career as an artist and curator.

is an open access online exhibition, published as part of the landmark special issue of British Art Studies, Queer Art in Britain since the 1980s, edited by Fiona Anderson, Flora Dunster, Theo Gordon and Laura Guy.

Trained as a linguist, Mumtaz Karimjee was a self-taught photographer and during the 1980s was a central figure in feminist and queer activism. She curated the first exhibition of female Indian photographers in the UK, was a key-member of Mukti, a grassroots feminist magazine produced by and for women of South Asian heritage, and her photography was included in exhibition of Black women artists curated by Lubaina Himid.

Her work was recently included in Women in Revolt at the Whitworth, but Correia’s exhibition, Mumtaz Karimjee: Making Visible is the first solo presentation of Karimjee’s work in over 30 years.

The Outstanding Student Citizenship award is unique in that it is not based on grades or academic work, instead allowing staff to nominate those individuals who have gone above and beyond in all aspects of university life.

Congratulations to this year’s awardees. We hear from the academics who nominated them, and the awardees, below:

Maisy Wood

Selim Iyidirli

Bradley Williams

Congratulations again to all of our student awardees, and the whole Class of 2025, who we at HCRI are extremely proud of.

We are pleased to announce that Dr Hannah Waterson will be starting her position as Research Associate – Knowledge Mobilisation in July 2025. This 24-month post is made possible by the Arts Council England (ACE) funded Creative Health Greater Manchester Place Partnership and Civic University Board (CUB).

The three-year place partnership aims to create lasting ways for creativity and culture to be at the heart of communities’ health and wellbeing. This builds on the growing recognition that engaging with creativity and culture helps us to lead longer, healthier, happier lives - a relationship that is increasingly referred to as ‘creative health’. 

This role will play a central role in developing a framework to understand how the Creative Health GM Place Partnership embeds creative health sustainably across the system.

The post will work between the GMCA and NHS GM (Greater Manchester Integrated Care), the Population Health team at NHS Greater Manchester and The University of Manchester. Dr Waterson will be hosted by Dr Simon Parry at the University of Manchester and supported by an advisory group including colleagues from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Salford. 

Dr Hannah Waterson has a background in Public Health and supported the development of an Arts in Public Health module at The University of Manchester, before leading on research and policy at the National Centre for Creative Health.

In May and June 2025 , and came together to host the CreaTech 2025 event series, exploring Creativity and AI in Music, Publishing and Fashion. 

This series brought together creatives, tech professionals and researchers from Greater Manchester and beyond to explore how AI is impacting the creative industries, sharing research from within The University of Manchester with expertise outside of it. 

We began at exploring the use of AI in the Music industry. The sessions began with lightning talks from Ricardo Climent, Professor of Interactive Music Composition at the University of Manchester and Director of the NOVARS Research Centre. Professor Climent was followed by Pete Woodbridge, R&D Innovation lead for the Music Futures AHRC Creative Cluster at the University of Liverpool.  Our panel discussed the challenges and opportunities of AI applications in the music industry, production and dissemination.  

The second event was held Oddfellows Hall and focused on the role of AI in the Publishing Industry. The panel brought together CEO of Manchester University Press, Simon Ross, Poet and CEO of the Faber Academy, Joey Connolly, writer, Michelle Collier and Neil Sprunt, from The University of Manchester Library. We heard concerns about the use of AI to replace the role of the writer or poet, but potential uses in other areas of the industry like finance and managing stock. 

The event series rounded up at , with a heated panel discussing the use of AI in the fashion industry. The panel was chaired by Dr Charlene Gallery, and had representation from researchers in Fashion Technology, Business and Marketing, alongside Gemma Gratton from Manchester Fashion Week and Joe Darwen, founder of CircKit. The panel discussed concerns about the use of AI in the design process, but more positive potential uses in analysing trends or helping small business owners to grow their fashion businesses.  

Throughout the series, the issue of sustainability was raised along with an urge throughout all industries for there to be ongoing analysis on the sustainability impact of using AI within their businesses. Overwhelmingly, across all sectors, there was a call to keep creative work in the hands of humans, but potential for many ways AI might influence how organisations operate including finance, marketing, production and materials.  

Hi, my name is Shiyuan Huang. I recently completed a placement with Manchester Camerata as part of my Master's in Arts Management at The University of Manchester.

My placement experience has been both rewarding and eye-opening. It allowed me to engage with the organisation across multiple areas - from concert support to library work and music therapy - each offering a unique perspective on how a cultural institution can enrich lives beyond the concert hall.

One part of my role involved assisting with concert operations, including helping during rehearsals and performances. This gave me valuable insight into the backstage logistics that make live events possible, from stage setup to coordinating with musicians and technical staff. I also worked closely with Zoe, the music librarian, in preparing and organising sheet music. I learnt how essential this often-overlooked work is to the smooth running of concerts - it requires precision, efficiency, and great attention to detail.

A particularly meaningful aspect of my placement was my involvement in Music in Mind, a music therapy project designed for people living with dementia. I joined several sessions of the Music Café, where music-making became a space for connection, expression, and joy. It was deeply moving to witness how music could unlock memories, spark conversations, and bring comfort to participants and their families. The warmth of the volunteers, staff, and attendees made this an incredibly human and humbling experience.

Throughout the placement, I’ve gained practical skills in arts administration, project coordination, and community engagement, but more than that, I’ve come to appreciate the role of music as a tool for wellbeing and social connection.

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Max Thomas, my supervisor, for his guidance and encouragement throughout the placement. I’m also very grateful to Zoe and Amy, and to all the wonderful people I met through the placement. Their kindness, passion, and commitment to making music accessible to all have left a lasting impression on me.

This placement has reaffirmed my belief in the power of the arts to transform lives. I’m excited to take these insights forward into the next steps of my journey in the cultural sector.

It offered a platform to highlight the collective reach of Manchester’s humanitarian sector, which has supported more than 6.5 million people in the past year alone through landmine clearance, emergency medical aid, disaster preparedness, peacebuilding, and more.

.

Opening the evening, MAG CEO Darren Cormack reflected on Manchester’s unique role in global humanitarianism: 

The evening included powerful speeches from the University’s President and Vice Chancellor, the CEO of Action for Humanity, and MAG’s Nika Kokareva, demining team leader in Ukraine. Nika delivered a first-hand account of the situation on the ground and the scale of humanitarian need caused by the ongoing war, particularly the threat posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance to families and farmers.

The event served as a timely reminder of Manchester’s deep-rooted legacy of social justice and global solidarity. While MAG and its partners operate in diverse contexts and specialise in different areas, the values driving their missions – dignity, justice, and hope – are shaped by the spirit of this city.

In a world facing increasing humanitarian challenges, the need for sustained partnership, collaboration, and funding has never been greater.

The Global Manchester event demonstrated what is possible when organisations, institutions, and communities come together in common cause – and why continued, united action is vital to creating a safer, fairer world.

.

.