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Dear Colleague
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We are delighted to share our first newsletter of the academic year. MetroPolis has hit the ground running with our AI in Government and Academia summit, where nearly 200 attendees from public service and research backgrounds came together to share knowledge, expertise and insight on how AI can be used fairly and effectively within the public sector.
On the subject of conferences, MetroPolis is proud to support Manchester Met researchers as they contribute to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. Discover more about our university’s presence and impact at the conference by clicking here, and read a white paper report we published on behalf of Professor Deborah James in support of this conference about mental health and young people.
We are also excited to share details of our upcoming training and development opportunities. In particular, we look forward to welcoming former MP and Manchester Met alumnus Huw Edwards back to campus. Looking ahead to November, we will also be offering further training sessions with Universal Impact and our long-established partner, Showrunner Communications.
Alongside delivering online training, Showrunner also provides one-to-one consultancy sessions for Manchester Met academics and doctoral students on mapping policy connections and achieving policy impact. Please email n.odowd@mmu.ac.uk to request an application form.
We are also exited to report that on the 20 November 2025 (on World Children’s Day) the Children’s Rights Conference will bring together young people, educators, practitioners, and community leaders to discuss how children’s rights are being upheld across Manchester and beyond. Later the same day, the Child Health Summit, led by Professor Deborah James, will convene a policy roundtable with young people, policymakers, and academics to centre youth voices in health planning and policy, featuring a keynote address from Amy Whitelock Gibbs, Chair of the Board at the Mental Health Foundation.
This newsletter also features updates from our Chancellor’s Fellows. Dr Katy Jones shares her reflections on completing a placement within the Department for Work and Pensions, where she advised on how best to support jobseekers in finding high-quality, sustainable careers. In our spotlight, we are delighted to feature Professor Susan Postlethwaite, who will be working with a range of fashion and clothing organisations to support economic regeneration in the UK.
If you think the Chancellor’s Fellowship may be of interest to you or a colleague, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or visit our website. We look forward to working with you over the coming year to connect research with policy and create real-world impact.
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MetroPolis continues to strengthen its position as Manchester Met's bridge between research and policy, read here to find out more and upcoming opportunities to engage with us.
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We were delighted to host the AI in Government and Academia Summit 2025,click here to find out more about this conference and how Manchester Met is influencing debate surrounding AI and its use in public services.
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MetroPolis is proud to celebrate and support our Manchester Met colleagues who contributed to panels and discussions during three impactful days at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
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Date/time: Tuesday 28th October 2025 (13:30-15:30)
Info: This course will guide and support you in promoting your work to Parliament. It will cover how to engage with the parliamentary process and is led by former Member of Parliament Huw Edwards MBE.
Date/time: Wednesday 19th November 2025 (13:00-16:00)
Info: Join Mark Fuller (Showrunner Communications) for an interactive online session on how to write for policy stakeholders.
Date/Time: Thursday 20th November 2025 (09:30 to 14:30)
Info: Co-organised by the ICF, Manchester City Council and Hideout Youth Zone, this event brings together young people, educators, practitioners, academics, local leaders, and community organisations to explore how children’s rights are being respected, protected, and realised across Manchester and the wider region.
Date/time: Thursday 20th November 2025 (16:30 to 19:00)
Info: A policy roundtable that brings together young people, policymakers, and academics to share lived experiences and explore best practices for placing children and young people’s voices at the heart of health planning and policymaking.
Date/time: Wednesday 26th November (13:30-16:00)
Info: Learn how to tailor your research for policy impact in this hands-on workshop for researchers new to policy engagement
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We offer a number of routes for enhancing the policy impact of your research. You can apply for support through the links below. To find out which is the most suitable for your work, or for more tailored support, please reach out to the MetroPolis team.
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The Chancellor’s Fellowship: Our prestigious MetroPolis Chancellor's Fellowship scheme offers high-quality researchers from Manchester Met placements with policy organisations including government departments, charities and think tanks.
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The Chancellor's Visiting Fellowship: This opportunity enables expert policymakers to collaborate with teams of researchers at Manchester Met to facilitate policy impact.
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Rapid Funding Scheme: A quick turnaround funding scheme for a range of activities to enhance the policy impact of research including events, travel, networking and (non academic) publications.
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1-1 Policy Coaching: A one-to-one service for support with your pathways to policy impact delivered by Showrunner Communications, who are experts in public policy.Add text
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We are delighted to have supported Chancellor's Fellow Dr Katy Jones as she undertook a placement at the Department for Work and Pensions. In this blog, she shares how the experience deepened insights into bridging academic research and real-world policymaking.
We also feature a blog by Dr Tamara West, from the Faculty of Business and Law. Her explores the impact of local authority funding cuts on small to medium heritage organisations and calls for research to better evidence the benefits of heritage in order to secure sustainable funding.
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We are delighted to announce that Professor Susan Postlethwaite from Manchester Metropolitan University’s Fashion Institute has been awarded a fellowship to investigate how the fashion and textiles sector can influence regeneration policy across the UK. Susan will be working closely with a range of organisations as part of her fellowship, including: UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), the British Fashion Council (BFC), the Greater London Authority (GLA), and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
The fellowship will focus on integrating fashion-specific advanced manufacturing approaches, such as micro-factories, agile tooling, and robotics, into urban regeneration strategies. She will support the early-stage development of the Strategic Regeneration Framework, building networks with London’s creative industries ecosystem, including the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board.
Her work will result in a joint position paper highlighting the vital role of fashion design and advanced manufacturing in supporting local economies and creative industry hubs in both London and Manchester.
This fellowship underscores the growing intersection between fashion, technology, and urban policy, demonstrating how high-value, low-volume garment manufacturing can drive innovation, skills development, and place-based economic regeneration.
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