Manchester Met and British Cycling have announced a new strategic partnership bringing together world‑leading research expertise with elite sport performance.
The partnership marks a nationally significant collaboration for Britain’s most successful Olympic and Paralympic sport, supporting Great Britain’s medal‑winning cyclists while also strengthening participation and inclusion across the UK.
By combining Manchester Met’s multidisciplinary research strengths from across its Institute of Sport with British Cycling’s elite and performance pathway programmes, the partnership aims to deliver innovation with national impact. This includes enhancing athlete performance and wellbeing, while addressing challenges around equality, accessibility and community engagement in cycling.
It will span a broad range of areas such as performance science, engineering, data and AI, women’s sport, social impact and student development. For example, drawing on approaches successfully used in elite football, the partnership will unlock performance insights, from optimising sprint cycling footwear and analysing muscle structure, to understanding the effectiveness of training loads.
Over time, the partnership is expected to deliver meaningful benefits for athletes, students and communities across the UK, while equipping students with the skills and experience needed for careers in sport, engineering, health and data science.
Manchester Met’s Centre of Excellence for Women in Sport will be working with British Cycling to support the specific needs of female riders, exploring research areas including women’s health and performance, alongside exploration of female‑specific equipment innovation such as bike and saddle design, to improve comfort, health outcomes and participation.
Professor Tim Cable, Director of Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport, said:
“Our partnership with British Cycling will explore cutting‑edge performance science and data innovation, building on Manchester Met’s expertise in biomechanics and applied sport science.
“Based in the sporting city of Manchester, our research and expertise will help British Cycling to achieve its goals, pushing the limits of elite performance while realising opportunities to widen participation in cycling and create opportunities and pathways for our students.”
Jon Dutton OBE, Group Chief Executive at British Cycling, said:
“Our innovation-led partnership with Manchester Met University opens many opportunities for both organisations around elite performance support, while having inclusion, participation and impact right at its core.
“Collaborations like this benefit both organisations as the partnership will operate in world-class environments, increasing skills across the board, bringing significant results, and important development across several areas.”
Alongside research and innovation, the partnership will create meaningful opportunities for Manchester Met students, aligning education with real‑world elite sport environments to equip the next generation for future careers in sport.
This includes linking major cycling moments in the city like the Tour De France Femmes avec Zwift with the University’s hosting of the European College of Sport Science Congress in 2027, positioning Manchester at the heart of global sport science and innovation.
