Manchester was home to Ernest Rutherford who was responsible for splitting the atom and, in 1907, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. During the late 1940s and 1950s the world's first stored computer programme was produced in Manchester - just one of the city's many scientific achievements and innovations.

Recently, Manchester has undergone one of the most ambitious regeneration projects ever undertaken in Britain and its inspirational buildings have won the acclaim of architects worldwide.

One of just six UK science cities, Manchester is a thriving, knowledge based city and ranks amongst the top European destinations for education and business. There are four universities within the city region, all of whom are working together and with both commercial and public sectors to open up access to a bank of knowledge, creativity and talent.

A premier business location, Manchester is not only home to some of the UK's top 100 companies but has attracted inward investment from businesses and investors across the globe who recognise the city as an ideal commercial hub within Europe.

It is also well served by an award-winning, international airport as well as substantial motorway and railway systems. Within the city region there is an equally excellent infrastructure with a network of public transport that includes buses, rails and an expanding tram network, the Metrolink.