“It’s being part of something – something bigger than yourself.”

09 Mar 2026

Research impact, shaped together - a campaign to celebrate how collaboration and partnership accelerate our research to impact in line with our Manchester 2035 strategy.

“It’s being part of something – something bigger than yourself.” Bernard Sudlow knows this first-hand as co-treasurer of Aquarius Community Savers, organised to improve life for older tower block tenants living on the Aquarius estate in Hulme. Now Bernard and his community are working in partnership with our researchers to improve the impact of charitable donations – at home and across the world.  

Years of community-led research has shown that traditional, project-based charity grants often fall short. So, One World Together has been created to take a different, trust-based approach – pooling small monthly donations into long-term, flexible funding that strengthens community agency.  

“This isn’t charity. It’s change. Trust based, unrestricted and long-term.” Professor Nicola Banks, academic lead for  One World Together, explains.  

Bernard agrees: “Real impact begins when people have control over decisions that affect their lives.”  

One World Together is just one of ten inspiring stories highlighted in Research impact, shaped together – a campaign that celebrates the people and practices behind the work, encouraging potential partners to connect and explore opportunities with us.  

Its five intersecting themes and accompanying stories reflect some of the ways collaboration and partnership turn knowledge into action, connecting communities, companies and countries to tackle complex challenges and drive change. They are: 

• Team research – when teams share ownership and learn from each other’s strengths and skills, collaboration becomes stronger and more adaptable.   
• Hyperlocal engagement – when research is grounded in place and shaped with local people, it can drive significant and lasting change.  
• International collaboration – when partnerships cross borders, positive transformation can be made globally.  
• Interdisciplinary research – when disciplines work together, new solutions emerge that no single field could reach alone.  
• Innovation – when researchers collaborate with industry or social enterprises, innovation flourishes through shared expertise and real-world application.  

“It’s not about just one person knowing all the answers on a research team,” says John Keady, Professor of Older Peoples’ Mental Health Nursing, working with Manchester Camerata to co-create Music in Mind, improvised music sessions that deliver powerful moments of connection for people with dementia. “It’s about coming together to find a language of research that really speaks to the issues that are being seen.”  

Research impact, shaped together supports three of the five leaps in our Manchester 2035 strategy,  From Manchester for the world: Research excellence to impact, A powerhouse of innovation and The university to partner with. ‘Shaped together’ with academics and professional services colleagues from across the institution and their partners, the campaign itself exemplifies our One University approach.  

It also supports our Research Culture and Environment Framework and is a collaboration between the Research Strategy and Communications and Marketing teams.  

Get inspired and involved

You can watch a round-up of the stories that tell how our collaboration, trust and shared ownership turn research into action:

You can discover how we collaborate with partners, communities and industry and share your ideas at Research impact, shaped together  

Find out how we support research impact here at Manchester.   

And please help us celebrate by sharing and commenting on our social media posts on LinkedIn, Bluesky and our YouTube playlist.