Companies have a huge responsibility to play an integral part in the revival of the cities in which they operate, and it’s one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. From sponsorship of arts and culture initiatives to medical charities, the need for companies to look outside themselves and establish partnerships to the benefit of the city in which they operate is key to good business.
And partnerships don’t have to be isolated to the field in which a company operates. Whilst we at Bruntwood might be known as commercial property developers, we also focus heavily on what happens within our buildings and communities. As part of this we’ve been working with Cisco over a long period of time, and through this partnership we were able to land the National Demonstrator for the Internet of Things which is a huge opportunity for Manchester.
CityVerve, as the project is known, is led by Cisco and Manchester Science Partnerships (which we hold a majority share in). It provides a real focus on Manchester and is an opportunity for businesses to use Manchester as test bed for delivering new products.
This partnership with Cisco is set to grow even further, as they create ‘Mi-IDEA’ - a post accelerator for start-ups at MSP’s newest, state-of-the-art workspace at the heart of the park. Bringing together businesses from across the city and beyond, the project will provide them with the expertise to grow and thrive. This is the first one outside of London and such a great opportunity for the city.
If you’re keen to hear more join us at the Manchester Pavilion on Thursday at MIPIM where Chris Oglesby, Chief Executive of Bruntwood, will be joined by Nick Chrissos, Head of Innovation Technology for Cisco at our stand session, ‘Connecting Manchester. Smart City. Smart People.’