{"id":378955,"date":"2026-01-19T20:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T20:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/378955\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T20:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T20:02:13","slug":"world-first-ai-partnership-between-the-university-of-manchester-and-microsoft-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/378955\/","title":{"rendered":"World-first AI partnership between The University of Manchester and Microsoft announced"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout, to be completed\u00a0by summer 2026, will equip Manchester students with future-ready skills and enable researchers to accelerate interdisciplinary discovery and analysis at scale.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Through access and training,\u00a0Manchester graduates will be well prepared for the modern workplace,\u00a0where employers increasingly expect graduates to be confident users of AI technologies.\u00a0Students will\u00a0also\u00a0be able to use Microsoft 365 Copilot to support their studies\u00a0in line with the University\u2019s policies on the responsible use of AI.Universal access will help address the emerging digital divide by ensuring that all students can\u00a0benefit\u00a0from advanced assistive and productivity tools, regardless of personal means.Researchers across the University will be able to use\u00a0Microsoft\u00a0365\u00a0Copilot\u00a0to reduce time spent on routine tasks and explore ideas beyond their immediate disciplines. It\u00a0enhances evidence gathering by navigating wider and more diverse literature, strengthens understanding through fast and\u00a0accurate\u00a0synthesis, and accelerates data analysis to unlock insights sooner.\u00a0Manchester researchers are already using AI to advance breast cancer treatment and improve menopause care, transform crop productivity,\u00a0and\u00a0reduce\u00a0waste in the fashion industry.For academic and professional services\u00a0colleagues, Microsoft 365 Copilot will support more efficient ways of working and free up time for higher-value, strategic activity. A pilot conducted\u00a0between\u00a02024\u00a0and\u00a02025\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0strong engagement, with 90 per cent of licensed users adopting the tool within 30 days and around half using it several times a week.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said:\u00a0\u201cAI is now part of everyday life. Our responsibility is not only to make these tools available to all our students and staff on\u00a0an equitable\u00a0basis, but to use the depth of\u00a0expertise\u00a0across our university to shape how AI is developed and applied for public good.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBy embracing the AI transformation early, we are working with students,\u00a0colleagues\u00a0and partners to maximise the benefits and manage risks responsibly. The great universities of the 21st century will be digitally enabled\u00a0\u2013\u00a0this partnership\u00a0represents\u00a0a significant step on that journey for Manchester.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK & Ireland<\/a>, said,\u00a0\u201cAs someone who grew up in Manchester, I\u2019m proud to see the University extending access to Microsoft 365 Copilot across its entire community, helping 65,000 students and staff build the skills they\u2019ll need to thrive in an AI\u2011enabled economy. This is a powerful example of how we can pair Manchester\u2019s deep AI heritage with responsible, ethical adoption that helps to close the digital divide and equip people to learn, research and work more effectively.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The strategic collaboration with Microsoft\u00a0is one of the first major developments following the launch of the University\u2019s new strategy,\u00a0From Manchester for the world<\/a>,\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0its ambition for research impact, world-class teaching and learning, and responsible leadership in digital transformation and innovation in action.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rollout will be delivered in partnership with the Students\u2019\u00a0Union, trade\u00a0unions\u00a0and staff networks. The University is working closely with Microsoft to ensure transparency around environmental and wider impacts, and to promote best practice in responsible and sustainable AI adoption.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s long-standing commitments to sustainability were an important consideration for\u00a0the University\u00a0in partnering with them. These include being committed to becoming carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Professor Jenn Hallam, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students, said:\u00a0\u201cEvery student deserves access to the best AI tools to enable them to thrive in their studies\u00a0\u2013\u00a0no matter their circumstances or background. AI is an enabler for teaching and learning, not a replacement.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not just supportive in the classroom, but in wider productivity and future life skills and\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0giving students the tools and training to use it in the right way, ethically and appropriately.\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0not just preparing graduates who can go out and get good jobs,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0preparing the next generation of citizens.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0the mission of Manchester\u00a0\u2013\u00a0you’ll\u00a0get a great degree, but\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0also prepare you for a fast-changing world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kanishka Narayan,\u00a0Minister for AI and Online Safety,\u00a0said: “When we bring a technology like AI together with the peerless expertise of UK universities, the potential is enormous. Whether supporting students in their studies, opening new avenues of research, or slashing the time spent on routine tasks, the benefits are transformative.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This partnership between\u00a0The University of Manchester and Microsoft will help our brightest minds do what they do best\u00a0\u2013\u00a0innovate. Meanwhile, initiatives like\u00a0the\u00a0Department for\u00a0Science,\u00a0Innovation and\u00a0Technology’s\u00a0Sp\u00e4rck\u00a0Scholarships will attract high-potential AI talent to top universities like Manchester.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout, to be completed\u00a0by summer 2026, will equip Manchester students with future-ready skills and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,71369,733,4308,49,144058,5634,86,46435,144056,115216,56,54,55,144057,1703],"class_list":["post-378955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-ai-at-manchester","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-headlines","tag-machester2035","tag-students","tag-technology","tag-the-university-of-manchester","tag-top-banner","tag-topbanner","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-university-news","tag-university-of-manchester"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}