The strategy forms part of the most advanced devolution deal of any city region in England and represents a strong partnership between local leaders and government. 

It sets out to capitalise on the city region’s unique assets and opportunities by: 

• Launching the UK’s first city region ‘Clean Growth Mission’ to achieve carbon neutral living by 2038 
• Positioning Greater Manchester as a world-leading region for manufacturers to experiment with, develop and adopt advanced materials, such as graphene and biotechnology 
• Maximising on the position as a leading European digital city region by growing assets in cyber security and enabling the digitalisation of all sectors 
• Creating new industries and jobs in health and care innovation to improve population health and life expectancy 
• Ensuring that the education and employment system can deliver the skills required to deliver these goals. 

The Local Industrial Strategy was launched at the University of Manchester’s new £10 million Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, which will develop new technologies to transform the manufacturing of chemicals with environmentally-friendly bio-organisms. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:  

“This bold and innovative joint plan between Greater Manchester and the government puts Greater Manchester back as an industrial and social pioneer. We want to be the UK’s leading green city region, which is why our ambition to achieve carbon neutral living by 2038 is right at the heart of these plans. 

“We’re also setting out how advanced manufacturing along with the digital and creative sectors will now help to grow our economy and help us become a wholly digitally-enabled city region.” 

Juergen Maier, chief executive of Siemens UK, added: 

“Greater Manchester was at the heart of the first industrial revolution. This Local Industrial Strategy is designed to put the city region at the heart of the fourth industrial revolution, which is now transforming manufacturing around the world.  

“The strategy will build on the ground-breaking Made Smarter Review and pilot to help SMEs in the manufacturing sector develop and adopt digital and environmental technologies to boost productivity, revolutionise manufacturing and accelerate commercial growth.” 

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