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Wythenshawe Innovation Challenge
Can your product or service support planned regeneration and drive the net zero transition in Wythenshawe?
We’re calling on innovative solutions addressing building decarbonisation, active & low-carbon travel and digital twin technology.
As experts in collaboration, we’re able to facilitate open innovation, locally.
Funded by Manchester City Council, this programme aims to align planned regeneration with the transition to net zero. The innovation challenge seeks to drive place-based innovation, supporting local growth and community benefit.
Challenge areas your product or service could support:
We have outlined challenge pillars within transport and built infrastructure. If you feel your innovation would add value but does not align perfectly, we would still encourage you to apply.
Transport challenges
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T1 | Active & micro-mobility incentivisation
How might we shift travel for residents, visitors and commuters away from single-occupancy vehicles towards active travel, micro-mobility and shared / public options?
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T2 | Shift work connectivity & off-peak demand response
How might we provide reliable, low-carbon, on-demand, or shared transit options for early-morning and shift pattern workers and commuters?
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T3 | Multi-modal & active travel shift
How might we overcome public reluctance to interchange travel modes, enabling transition from private vehicles to public, shared or active travel?
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T4 | Smart logistics for decentralised community care
How might we optimise the prompt courier of clinical samples between community GP sites and central hospital labs to support extended community care hours?
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T5 | Digital twins & predictive behaviour modeling
How might we integrate "Digital Twin” novel data layers and simulation tools to capture unmet transit demand, simulate local transport impacts and identify future travel behaviors?
Commercial estate challenges
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B1 | Data-driven energy and environmental optimisation
How might we digitise and monitor commercial building assets to optimise and reduce overall energy demand?
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B2 | Digital twins & targeted interventions
How might we create a digital twin that models occupancy, heating, and ventilation demands for targeted estate retrofit and responsive maintenance?
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B3 | Compliance & operational resource optimisation
How might we deploy smart monitoring technologies to automate statutory water monitoring to optimise utility and staff resource time?
To take part in the challenge, you will be:
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Able to apply your solution and operate within Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester
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Excited to pitch to and build a relationship with our anchor partners
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Willing to invest time to understand the needs of a partner organisation (and potential customer)
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Interested in finding opportunities to collaborate through Trials, Shared Learning and Commercial Relationships
About Wythenshawe
Greater Manchester
Situated 8 miles south of Manchester city centre, Wythenshawe is a community housing roughly 80,000 residents along with major industrial estates, the Civic Centre, and Wythenshawe Hospital - bounded by major motorways and the River Mersey. The area neighbours Manchester Airport - which draws over 32 million annual visitors.
This unique mix makes Wythenshawe an exciting live testbed for scalable climate-tech and future innovations.
Programme timeline
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01
Apply to be shortlisted for the Innovation Challenge
Sustainable Ventures will shortlist the most relevant innovations. Applications will close by 18:00 Tues 24th November and innovators will be selected by Mon 30th November.
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02
Pitch your innovation to anchor partners
Selected innovators attend the matching day (Fri 11th Dec) to showcase your offering and to meet with decision makers in MCC and anchor partners.
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03
Collaborate with the Anchor Partners
Sustainable Ventures will facilitate constructive engagement between partners and SMEs to explore collaborations and potential pilots.
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04
Explore ways to integrate the chosen innovation
Wrap up the funded engagement by discussing next steps, for example, a potential trial, commercial contract, or collaborative funding proposal.
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05
Attend the innovation day
An event at the Renold Building, Manchester in February / March 2027 to showcase outcomes, learnings and successes.