Industry–Academia Impact Forum

On February 2026, we proudly launched the first edition of the Industry – Academia Impact Forum 2026. A heartfelt thank you to our speakers, corporate and government partners, University of Manchester colleagues, and guests for contributing to a morning that showcased the strength and importance of collaboration between industry and academia. 

The event was hosted by our alumnus Tim Shelton, Operations Director, Technology & Advisory at Omnium International Ltd., with opening remarks from Dr Nada Jammoul Messaikeh, Senior Lecturer & UoM – Dubai Associate Director – Research. This was followed by an address from Professor Ken McPhail, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School.

A highlight of the morning was the fireside chat on research collaboration between Emirates and The University of Manchester, illustrating how academia and industry can work together to solve complex challenges. Dr Amin Elkholy, Senior Lecturer & UoM – Dubai Associate Director – Teaching & Learning, joined Hisham Salah, Vice President of Cabin and IFEC at Emirates Group, for this engaging discussion.

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• Professor Richard Allmendinger, Professor of AI and Associate Dean for Business Engagement, on Digital Trust & Security 
• Dr Arijit De, Associate Professor, on Maritime Operations Optimisation 
• Dr James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, on Research Commercialisation at Scale, including developments in graphene and the GEIC ecosystem

• Scale, including developments in graphene and the GEIC ecosystem

The event concluded with a panel discussion, “From Research to Real-World Impact,” moderated by Robert Willock, Global Director, Economist Intelligence Corporate Network. Panelists included:

• Maite Gonzalez Eizaguirre, Manager Aircraft Material Upcycling, Emirates Engineering 
• Charlene Gallery, Fashion Academic at The University of Manchester, Social Activist, Designer & Digital Explorer 
• Dr Nada Jammoul Messaikeh, Senior Lecturer & UoM – Dubai Associate Director – Research 
• Dennis Ekow Sintim-Aboagye, Innovation Management Lead, Siemens Energy 

We were also honoured to have support from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Knowledge & Human Development Authority, reinforcing the significance of industry-academia collaboration in driving impactful research and innovation.
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