Organised in partnership with Manchester Architects and Manchester School of Architecture, this Design Manchester event brings together leading architects with researchers and public realm stakeholders to explore new thinking and possibilities for innovation.

The Symposium will be chaired by Jane Duncan, the immediate past president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and the participants include:

• Ged Couser, Principal of BDP Architects and President of Manchester Architects
• Professor Thomas Jefferies, Head of Manchester School of Architecture
• Professor Andrew Chitty, the AHRC’s Creative Economy Champion
• Katie Tonkinson, Partner at Hawkins\Brown
• Rafael Cuesta, Head of Innovation at Transport for Greater Manchester
• Nick Owen, Partner at Simpsonhaugh
• Alistair Weir, Partner at PRP Architects
• Ben Young, OH OK LTD
• Sarah Elderkin, Principal Policy Officer, Manchester City Council
• Michael Plane, Development Surveyor, Manchester City Council
• Paul Bason, Director of Digital Innovation, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Rob Hyde, Principal Lecturer, Manchester School of Architecture
• Kasper de Graaf of Design Manchester

This Symposium is sponsored by the Arts & Humanities Research Council’s Creative Economy Programme. It is not open to the public, but will be filmed as part of a series of short documentaries about innovation in Manchester.