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Workers making shoes in a cluttered factory.

Modern slavery and digital technology in ‘Fast Fashion’: the transparency dividend

Dr Jonathan Daves - author headshotRose BroadAuthor photograph By , and Filed Under: All posts, Science and Technology, Work Posted:

Modern slavery and exploitation are critical challenges in the UK garment manufacturing and fast fashion sectors, which continue to require urgent attention from policymakers and regulatory agencies. Despite the potential for digital technology to enhance supply chain transparency, its effectiveness in mitigating labour exploitation is under-researched and underutilised. In this article, Dr Jon Davies, Professor […]

3d rendered image of stem cells

Regulation of human embryo models is urgent

By and Filed Under: Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

Human embryo models are created from stem cells and provide opportunities to study early embryo development in ways that would generally be impermissible if real human embryos were used. Here, Dr Jonathan Lewis and Professor Soren Holm argue that with human embryo models becoming more advanced, regulations governing human embryo research need to be established […]

Torso of nurse using digital tablet

Implications of the digital revolution for the nursing workforce

Photograph of author Dawn DowdingPhotograph of author Sarah Skyrme By and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care, Science and Technology Posted:

As the largest professional group in the healthcare workforce, nurses have been at the frontline of a digital transformation. In this article, from our publication Working Futures, Professor Dawn Dowding and Dr Sarah Skyrme assess what this means for the workforce and suggest policy interventions. Ambitions for all NHS organisations in England to be paperless […]

Unjamming the (bio)printer: how can regulatory reform unleash new and advanced biomaterials?

By Filed Under: Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

3D bioprinting technologies hold huge potential to transform patient care and treatment, delivering the next generation of personalised medicine. But current legislative boundaries are poorly defined, and the pathways to approval are unclear, creating unnecessary delays and costs in getting these new technologies to patients. Here, Dr Marco Domingos from the Bioprinting Technology Platform argues […]

Tablets in therapeutic plastic packaging.

Culture shift: Tackling antimicrobial resistance from agriculture to operating table

By , , , and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care, Science and Technology Posted:

In 2019, drug resistant microbial infections claimed more than 1.3 million lives, and over the next 25 years, it is expected that more people will die from drug resistant infections than from cancer. New antimicrobials and alternatives to traditional chemotherapeutic agents are urgently needed to treat infections that are resistant to all current therapies, alongside […]

What does a ‘metal intensive’ future entail?

By and Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted:

Critical metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, are key to the path towards net zero. The UK Government released their Critical Minerals Strategy in early 2023, which sets out to improve the resilience of the critical metal supply chain. In this article from our publication ‘On Resilience’, Dr Sampriti Mahanty and Professor […]

An Asian female agronomist works in a watermelon greenhouse

A silicon revolution for sustainable farming

Professor Bruce Grieve headshot By Filed Under: All posts, Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

An increasing population, political pressures, and severe weather events are all putting global food production at risk. The use of AI in agriculture could help farmers and agricultural decision makers to access more accurate data to improve productivity and sustainability. In this article, from our publication On Resilience, Professor Bruce Grieve explores the future of […]

EV production line - cover image for EV article

Accelerating the electric vehicle transition in the UK     

James Jackson author headshot By Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted:

Following the publication of the industrial strategy in 2017, in which Theresa May attempted to envisage a post-Brexit future, electric vehicles (EVs) were identified as an important opportunity for the UK political economy. Yet, despite the almost annual publications that reiterated the need for EVs to become a significant feature of the UK, attempts to […]

Aerial view of a cargo ship in transit

Climate change: navigating a clear route for UK shipping

Alice Larkin By , and Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Technology Posted:

After a year of devastating climate disasters, nations at COP 28 in Dubai in December signalled the need for the “end of the fossil fuel era”. To meet that ambition, 2024 will need to see a major acceleration in global action to address climate change. Here, Simon Bullock, Alice Larkin, and James Mason from the […]

Planning ahead: A multi-sector approach to net zero

Mathaios Panteli By , and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Inclusive Growth, Renewables, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted:

With climate change increasing some resources’ uncertainty – and global development making others scarcer and more interdependent – society requires improved planning and policy frameworks to deliver a secure, equitable and resilient transformation to net zero. In this article from our publication On Resilience, Professor Julien Harou, Dr Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña and Professor Mathaios Panteli explore how […]

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Articles give the views of the author, and are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester.

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