Manchester soars 11 places in list of the world’s most innovative cities

Tim Newns

Manchester has jumped 11 places in the 2018 Innovation Cities Index, ranking above destinations such as Shanghai, Beijing, Copenhagen and Madrid.

Manchester, which is home to the largest creative, digital and technology cluster outside London, is the only British city outside the capital to feature in the top 50 list, securing 34th position.

Data firm 2thinknow compiled the index after assessing cities against 31 segments of their industries and economy, as well as 162 indicators for innovation, before scoring them against three key factors: Cultural assets; human infrastructure; and networked markets.

The news follows the recent announcement that Amazon will establish operations in Manchester, creating 600 highly-skilled ‘Silicon Valley’ jobs in early 2019 and that TalkTalk is relocating its headquarters to Greater Manchester, as well as the announcement made earlier this year that GCHQ will establish a major base in the city.

Tim Newns, chief executive of MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency, said: “This ranking further cements Greater Manchester’s status as a world-leading hub for technology, research and innovation.

“We are fast becoming the business location of choice for innovative global brands as well as start-ups, thanks to the wealth of knowledge, expertise and opportunities to collaborate available within the city.

“Greater Manchester is already home to companies including Access Pay, Boohoo, AO.com and Jaguar Land Rover, but it will soon be joined by Amazon and GCHQ – world leading organisations that have recently announced major investments in the city region, creating hundreds of jobs.”

Tokyo took the top spot in the rankings, with London coming second, followed by Silicon Valley in third.

Only five other cities jumped more than 10 places as well as Manchester, all of which were in the USA – Orlando, Oakland, Denver, San Diego, and Austin.

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