GMColleges is expanding innovation across the region.

What is the Greater Manchester Further Education Innovation Programme?

The Greater Manchester Further Education Innovation Programme (GMFEIP) is set to enter its third year with major new backing from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), continuing vital innovation support for businesses and learners across the city-region.

Following two successful years funded through Innovate UK’s Further Education Innovation Fund, the programme will now transition to regional investment from the GMCA. This funding aims to strengthen Greater Manchester’s ambition to deliver inclusive growth and build a workforce fit for the future economy.

Innovation across industry

For 2026/27 the GM wide programme, led by Oldham College, has been awarded £1.1m which will be distributed across all 9 of our colleges, to provide innovation support in every borough of the city region.

Innovation Connector Network

Our teams have worked collaboratively across each borough to build local innovation ecosystems, supporting hundreds of businesses through tailored innovation advice, specialist facilities and skills development. The Innovation Connector Network aims to continue this work, supporting Greater Manchester businesses to access innovation expertise, facilities and partnerships through our nine Further Education colleges.

Find out more about this initiative here.

The Innovation Literacy Programme

The GM FE Innovation Programme has developed an innovative training resource for apprentices, who are employed in local businesses, to gain an additional certificate. The ‘Innovation Literacy’ training enables apprentices to become ‘Apprentice Innovation Ambassadors’ who increase the innovation capacity in the SMEs where they are based. 

Learn more about the the GM Colleges Innovation Literacy project here. 

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This programme is supported by