Universities should redouble their efforts to demonstrate how they are enabling “inclusive growth” that benefits all parts of the UK to find favour under a government led by Andy Burnham, research experts have suggested.

While research, innovation and higher education are unlikely to be prioritised in the early days of a Burnham premiership, his entry into Downing Street would represent the arrival of a politician who, as mayor of Greater Manchester, has presided over one of England’s research and development (R&D) success stories, with some 86,000 staff and 81,000 students now based in the housing the city’s two main universities.

Having successfully championed the role of innovation-led growth since he was first elected mayor in 2017, Burnham understands the economic importance of sustained public investment in R&D, said Graeme Reid, chair of science and research policy at UCL.

“He should get some credit for making Manchester, alongside Glasgow, the place to go whenever the government was trying to do some experimentation with R&D, particularly around growing its innovation cluster,” said Reid.

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Manchester’s R&D renaissance under his leadership has led to speculation that Burnham might seek to push this agenda personally, with the current prime minister, Keir Starmer, seen to have delegated decisions in this area to his science minister, Patrick Vallance, the government’s former chief science adviser.

The stand-out success of Manchester’s innovation district, driven by its universities, did not, however, guarantee an uplift in government support, particularly for research-intensive institutions, said Kieron Flanagan, professor of science and technology policy at the University of Manchester.

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“It is certainly true that the universities are important actors in the economic and innovation ecosystem of Greater Manchester and key contributors to a lot of the dynamics from which it has benefited, such as attracting people and investment to the city-region,” explained Flanagan.

“On the other hand, Burnham has put a great deal of emphasis on parity of esteem for vocational and technical education, with his emphasis on the MBacc [the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate] as an equal and alternative route to A levels and university,” he added, noting the “growing focus on inclusive growth and the ‘foundational economy’ alongside high tech and more science-dependent sectors in its local industrial strategy”.

“Burnham has pushed back against any sense that Greater Manchester universities are or should be the only game in town with regard to research, innovation and skills development,” said Flanagan, who pointed out that the “Greater Manchester vision also focuses on further education colleges, non-university research organisations (which the region has long been seeking to attract, predating Burnham’s election) and R&D-intensive firms”.

“Any increase in devolved innovation funding under Burnham would have been targeting all of these with a strong inclusive innovation element,” said Flanagan, who recommended that “universities need to really evidence the collaborative roles they play in innovation and good growth beyond the high-tech commercialisation story, and show that they can commit meaningfully to those roles and not just in order to unlock funding or achieve KPIs.

“Claims to be the unique driver of growth and innovation will, I suspect, receive short shrift – as they should. I think the R&I policy discourse under Burnham would be likely to shift away from the rather narrow 1990s-style national competitiveness agenda we have seen since the election of this government and towards something that encompasses a vision of good growth.”

Richard Jones, who was vice-president (regional innovation and civic engagement) at Manchester until September 2025, agreed that it was vital for universities to show their wider impact beyond rejuvenating urban centres.

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“Andy Burnham understands the importance of university-led innovation to the economy, but he has stressed the importance of inclusive growth. That means supporting spin-outs and helping them to scale up, but also ensuring that this benefits places like Wigan, Rochdale and Oldham, not just the centre of Manchester,” said Jones.

“He is also very keen on further education and feels it has been neglected compared to the university route, so that might cause some worry for those seeking support,” continued Jones on why it would be “wise for universities to explain their importance to the wider community”.

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The , a £1 billion initiative to create a hub for high-tech start-ups and advanced manufacturing firms in the Rochdale, Bury and Oldham area, was a good example of how universities could support the activity that Burnham would reward, said Jones. “It was something Burnham led and endorsed and brought together five universities from the city region which aligned themselves to the priorities of the region. It is the kind of thing that universities should be demonstrating,” he said.

With UK Research and Innovation’s budget rising to £10 billion a year by the end of the spending review period, which finishes in 2029-30, and with fiscal conditions uncertain, there may be little room for additional funding for R&D.

Burnham might, however, seek to use science- and innovation-led growth as a way to create buzz about his leadership, in the same way that Boris Johnson sought to energise his administration by talking about his desire to turn Britain into a “science superpower” when taking office, said UCL’s Reid.

“That phrase was disliked intensely by many people within academia, but it created an optimism and energy within government that allowed people to be innovative and entrepreneurial,” said Reid, explaining that it was an “easy way to communicate a lot of complex ideas about science policy”.

Noting the more populist instincts of Burnham compared with Starmer, Reid said the likely next prime minister might find a variation on Johnson’s “science superpower” theme that benefits R&D.

“Burnham has a history of creating a bit of swagger about him, and I don’t underestimate the importance of doing this.”

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jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com