The University of Manchester and six NHS trusts in Salford and Manchester have launched a joint strategy that aims to establish a number of world-class research programmes by 2014.

It is hoped that the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) will provide a platform not only for research but also the training of a new generation of health scientists.

Moreover, Manchester AHSC will also increase the likelihood of securing major research funding from the private sector, the government and charitable bodies.

Professor Alan North, director of the new centre, said Greater Manchester could be one of the world's leading health research centres by 2021, thereby "contributing substantially to innovation, enterprise and economic development in the northwest region".

Earlier this month, scientists at the University of Manchester were given £700,000 by the Medical Research Council to develop a new therapy that combat drug-resistant tuberculosis.