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Hello, and welcome back to our monthly newsletter!
This week, we've been busy celebrating the launch of our 2025 Delivery Plan! After many months in the making, we're so excited to finally be able to share our plans for the coming year with our wider community. With 15 different projects stretching across four key themes, our Delivery Plan sets out the actions we're taking to build a more equitable digital future for all.
You can fid out more about Delivery Plan below, or head over to our website to learn more about our ambitions for the wider Strategy.
We've also been excited to welcome new Digital Inclusion Officer Emily Littler to our Let's Get Digital team. Emily will be supporting the development and delivery of the refreshed Digital Inclusion Action Plan, to help more people in Manchester access the benefits of being online. If you're interested in learning more about our digital inclusion priorities, or have an interest in how we can work together to bridge the digital divide in Manchester, make sure to say hello!
In this month's newsletter, we're also sharing reflections on our recent tour of the incredible Royal Mills Generator hub; inviting you to join us at the Customer Experience Live Show 2025, where our ICT colleagues will be sharing learnings from the Resident and Business Digital Experience Programme; and celebrating successes from our Digital Inclusion team's recent Train the Trainers event.
Happy reading, and see you next month!
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Curious to find out more about our plans for the year ahead? We're kicking off this month's bulletin with big news!
We're thrilled to finally share our 2025 public-facing Delivery Plan - outlining the fifteen projects we’re working on this year, and the outcomes we’re determined to achieve for businesses, organisations and people in our city.
While the Digital Strategy lays the foundations for our vision over a five-year period, the Delivery Plan drives execution, offering actionable steps forwards. Simply put, our Delivery Plan ensures that we are driven by meaningful, real-world outcomes that positively impact the lives of people in Manchester.
To learn more, explore the slidedeck by clicking on the link below.
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Manchester's tech hubs are an essential part of our digital ecosystem, helping to drive economic growth and diversifying our tech economy.
Our Tech Hub Working Group enables us to work more closely with incubators and accelerators in our city to build a more prosperous, welcoming, and resilient digital economy, where businesses of all sizes are supported to flourish.
As part of last month's working group, we were delighted to take a tour of the fantastic facilities at Generator Royal Mills - a newly established enterprise hub, opened in October 2024, offering affordable access to business information support, adaptable co-working space, and state of the art technologies.
Part of the Generator project, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Greater Manchester Combined Authority in partnership with Manchester City Council, the Royal Mills hub aims to expand support for start-ups and small businesses in the city.
To learn more about the Generator project - or to book in for a trial session - head over to the link below.
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We're incredibly excited to be supporting our City Council colleagues at this year's Customer Experience Live Show, taking place in Manchester for the first time!
The two-day conference event will bring together over 300 industry experts from across the UK to explore strategies to deliver innovative, humanised, and meaningful customer experiences.
Digital Content Designer at MCC, Katie McCall, will be joining colleagues from other UK local authorities to discuss digital customer experiences in local government, and how we can design digital processes that better centre the needs of users.
As part of the panel, Katie will share learnings the Resident and Business Digital Experience Programme (RBDxP), Manchester City Council's two-year digital transformation programme. Moving beyond an ICT refresh, the programme engages residents and colleagues in design processes to align services with human needs.
To learn more about how we're putting people at the heart service development- and discover more ways that businesses and organisations in the UK are creating better customer experiences - make sure to register for the conference on the 1st and 2nd July!
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 Manchester Leads UK in AI Readiness
We're so proud to be part of a city with a rich history of innovation - and even more excited to see that it shows no sign of slowing down!
The SAS AI Cities Index, an annual report produced by data and AI company SAS, aims to help increase understanding of which UK cities are best prepared to keep pace with the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence. The report evaluates cities against key metrics including AI-related job opportunities, innovation funding, education, businesses activity, and events.
As AI continues to reshape the world around us, it's vital that our city is well-prepared to ensure businesses, communities, and residents are able to benefit from the opportunities AI offers, while also being safeguarded against its potential risks.
With the most AI-related companies on the index, the highest number of tech-based jobs, and the biggest R&D innovation grants to businesses outside of London, we're thrilled that Manchester has claimed the top spot for the second year in a row!
To learn more, head over to the SAS website to read the full report.
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Digital Inclusion Good News
For many people, AI can seem to have appeared out of nowhere! How it works, how data is used, and the risks involved can all be unclear.
Last month, our Digital Inclusion team - in partnership with researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University - held a workshop for community organisations to practically explore AI's opportunities, ethics and risks.
The positive impact of the workshop was reflected in feedback: two-thirds felt more confident using AI, over 80% better understood how AI uses their data, and most felt ready they would now be able to support others.
We’re so grateful to everyone who brought their passion, enthusiasm and ideas to the session!
To read more of our reflections on the workshop, head over to the link below.
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Every month, we'll be sharing updates, news, and opportunities from the Digital Strategy Team, our partners, and the wider digital ecosystem. Whether you're interested in collaborating, have questions, or simply want to learn more about our ambitious vision for Manchester's digital future, we'd love to hear from you!
Find out about the different ways you can reach us below:
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