Manchester 2035
Introduction
Imagine it's 2035 and our University has changed the world for the better. How did we do it? What role did you play?
Manchester 2035 is our bold new strategy – and you can help shape it.
Building on the purpose, vision and values of Our future, Manchester 2035 will identify and accelerate our strategic ambitions for the next decade.
What does a truly great university look like in the 21st century?
Manchester 2035 is about all of us – students, staff, alumni and partners – coming together to shape our strategy and take on the challenges of the future.
Through collaboration, we'll consider who we want to be and how we get there, creating a joint plan that reflects our aspirations and benefits the communities we serve.
Your voice is crucial in reimagining what's possible.
Watch our update following the end of phase one:
Where are we up to?
Phase one: Listening and discussing
October 2024–January 2025
You shared your ideas online and in-person, and we discussed them at staff, student and community and civic workshops.
Phase two: Testing proposals
February–May 2025
We'll create bold proposals based on your ideas and test these with our community.
Phase three: Approval and publish
June–October 2025
With your input, we'll shape and develop the final strategy, outlining the actions you can take to help us achieve it.
Phase one themes
Reimagining our student experiences
In phase one we asked you to:
Imagine it’s 2035 and we have reinvented teaching, learning and student experiences for a diverse community of learners.
What if:
- Small is beautiful and on-campus teaching is primary, complemented by flexible learning options that enhance support and engagement for on-campus learners?
Or:
- We’ve experienced considerable growth and diversity – and our physical and digital campuses are equal in scale, importance and quality?
Or:
- A federal Manchester has seen us grow to 75,000 students through partnerships and regional and global alliances?
Where do you think we'll be in 2035?
What might our people experience and what will our culture be?
Theme leads
Meet the senior leadership members who guided us through this theme, sparking discussion and leading workshops to listen to your ideas.
"If we genuinely are a learning organisation, we need to be willing to learn from our students."
April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students
"I am confident that in its third century, Manchester's educational offering can graduate students with the tools ready to transform the world."
Allan Pacey, Deputy Vice-President and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Becoming one university
In phase one we asked you to:
Imagine it’s 2035 and our University is an integrated and connected community embodying a ‘one university’ mindset.
What if:
- We’re keeping things simple across the University through consistent policies and processes, reducing complexity and unnecessary tasks while ensuring this consistency respects identity and local context?
Or:
- We create a university without boundaries – where there are fewer silos, and it is easier to work together seamlessly across teams with a shared purpose?
Or:
- Goal alignment means resources are concentrated on few priorities, enabling rapid redeployment of talent to high-priority work without constraints of structure, hierarchy or history?
Where do you think we’ll be in 2035?
What might our people experience and what will our culture be?
Theme leads
Meet the senior leadership members who guided us through this theme, sparking discussion and leading workshops to listen to your ideas.
"I am personally motivated by this theme because it could be the catalyst that transforms us from being a good university to a great university."
Patrick Hackett, Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer
"Our commitment to collaboration and collective success is brilliant. I am optimistic and confident that we can realise our 'one University' mindset together."
Fiona Devine, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities
Accelerating our research impact
In phase one we asked you to:
Imagine it’s 2035 and our outstanding research and its impact have drawn the world’s attention, attracting leading talent and increased funding.
What if:
- We’ve achieved broad-based success, excelling in interdisciplinary research, mission-driven team science and global collaborations with our innovation ecosystem among the most distinctive in the world?
Or:
- We’ve achieved focused research excellence by identifying and investing in our strengths, leading to a significant rise in global rankings and an increase in highly-cited, world-leading research?
Or:
- Leading through engagement and impact, we’ve advanced our global standing by focusing on innovation and regional and global engagement, transforming our research culture, supported by ambitious and collaborative teams to drive interdisciplinary research and deliver truly inclusive economic growth and social wellbeing?
Where do you think we’ll be in 2035?
What might our people experience and what will our culture be?
Theme leads
Meet the senior leadership members who guided us through this theme, sparking discussion and leading workshops to listen to your ideas.
"Our University buzzes with energy, knowledge, creativity, discovery, innovation and a commitment in all that we do to improve lives and protect our planet."
Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research
"Research has the power to change peoples' lives for the better. My own personal research has been shaped and directed by this conviction."
Richard Jones, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement
Advancing our social responsibility
In phase one we asked you to:
Imagine it’s 2035 and society has undergone significant transformation, creating both opportunities and challenges as we seek to change the world for the better.
What if:
- We ensure continued success in social responsibility through incremental change and continuously improving our impact towards key societal goals?
Or:
- We position our students as changemakers – ensuring every student can make a meaningful contribution to society through their taught programmes?
Or:
- As a globally connected University, we harness new technologies such as AI to increase access to programmes, supercharge our research alliances and better engage across boundaries?
Where do you think we’ll be in 2035?
What might our people experience and what will our culture be?
Theme leads
Meet the senior leadership members who guided us through this theme, sparking discussion and leading workshops to listen to your ideas.
"I passionately believe in the role universities play in critical enquiry and constructive debate, furthering knowledge and innovation for the benefit of wider society without barriers."
Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility
"I'm passionate about ensuring our work on employability, training and skills helps to realise our mission of being an inclusive employer."
Ele Morrissey, Executive Director of People and Organisational Development
Funding a world-class university of the future
In phase one we asked you to:
Imagine it’s 2035 and we can consistently attract the world’s best talent and provide them with world-class facilities, enabling our people to unleash their full potential.
What if:
- Through greater selectivity of investment, we focus on what we do well, grasping new global and local opportunities that fit with existing excellence?
Or:
- We grow bigger and more efficient, increasing to 60,000 students on campus and expanding our international offer – with income streams from philanthropy, innovation and flexible learning programmes funding automation, process changes and system improvements?
Or:
- We merge with others to generate ‘Mega Manchester’, a unified educational ecosystem, federating with Manchester HE to drive economic growth and opportunity while maintaining our research standards?
Where do you think we’ll be in 2035?
What might our people experience and what will our culture be?
Theme leads
Meet the senior leadership members who guided us through this theme, sparking discussion and leading workshops to listen to your ideas.
"We are Manchester and we should dream big. I want the University to be a brilliant place to be for our people."
Carol Prokopyszyn, Chief Financial Officer
"My vision is of a university that delivers outstanding teaching, research, discovery and innovation, and educates graduates who are highly employable, confident, self-aware and socially responsible."
Martin Schröder, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering
Engagement so far
During phase one we asked you to imagine a future where our University is more impactful, more engaged, more innovative and more committed than ever before – and you answered the call in an incredible way:
Colleagues, students, alumni and local community members involved
Workshops held, in-person and online
Workshop bookings
Online ideas and comments submitted
Project timeline
The Manchester 2035 consultation process was formally launched by President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Duncan Ivison, at the University’s Foundation Day on Wednesday, 2 October 2024.
From October through to December, online and in-person consultation workshops took place with staff and students. An online feedback tool was also made available to capture staff, student, alumni and partner views.
Consultation feedback was collected and analysed, and is being drafted into proposals of what could be included in the new strategic plan.
In February our University Executive, in collaboration with leadership teams and the Students’ Union, will form sprint groups to transform your insights into bold, cross-cutting proposals.
Starting in April, we’ll launch new forums, invite further online feedback, and engage our whole University community to refine and prioritise these ideas.
We’ll gain formal approval of our strategic plan through University committees and publish the final version in autumn 2025.
Through further collaboration, we’ll work with colleagues to integrate our strategic priorities into their activities.
Feedback
Email feedback
If you have any questions or feedback about the strategy process, please email us at manchester2035@manchester.ac.uk.