£30m extension funding for Innovation Accelerator

The accelerator is helping to transform the Greater Manchester region, boosting the economy, jobs, heath and the environment. Future Homes, a partnership between the University and housebuilders Barratt, Bellway and Saint-Gobain, is delivering real knowledge and energy savings to our homes, through cutting edge research on heat pumps and making our homes energy efficient.

Professor Will Swan, Director of Energy House Labs at the University of Salford said: “The Future Homes Innovation Accelerator has been an excellent opportunity to support innovators, as well as addressing nationally important questions about our housing stock. The extension provides an excellent opportunity to build on the partnership, generating new research and benefits for the sector, as well as people who live in the homes we design and build.”

Future Homes is one of ten projects funded within the Greater Manchester portfolio of the Innovation Accelerator (IA) programme, which is transforming the innovation landscape in the UK and paving the way for the future of place-based research and development (R&D) investment.

Since its launch, the IA programme has invested £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects between 2022-25, focusing on high-potential innovation clusters across three UK regions - Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Glasgow City Region and has been extended by £30m for 2025/26. The programme builds on regional cluster strengths and brings together the innovation ecosystem, to drive economic growth and technological advancement.

The programme is led by Innovate UK, on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and co-created in Greater Manchester with regional leadership to ensure it is locally led and focused on harnessing the region’s strengths in high performance materials, health innovation, advanced manufacturing and digital technology.

The IA programme in Greater Manchester provided a unique opportunity to test hypotheses in real-world settings, and those projects emerging from the programme have made significant impacts in just two years. The programme has supported more than 500 businesses to take forward innovations, while over 1000 Greater Manchester residents have accessed skills support – to either upskill or begin their journey to a career in a high-growth sector.

The work delivered has been highly output-focused, resulting in the creation of meaningful networks and lasting relationships. Partners and stakeholders have embarked on a collective learning journey, creating something new that they can be proud of whilst adding tangible value to a new paradigm shift in ways of working. An approach that has proven to be highly effective in bringing together diverse stakeholders, while strengthening key relationships.