Key Points
- Greater Manchester Austin, Texas have officially signed a Sister City Agreement, formalising their partnership on 4 June 2026
- The agreement builds on a 2025 Friendship Cities Agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) signed by Mayor Andy Burnham, Manchester City Council Leader Bev Craig, and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson
- Collaboration will cover seven key areas: economic development, innovation, science and technology, education, tourism, arts and music, and urban development
- This is the first partnership between a UK city-region and Texas since the UK Government’s March 2024 Statement of Mutual Cooperation on economic development and trade
- Austin Mayor Kirk Watson described the agreement as “historic” and confirmed the two cities are “officially Sister Cities”
- The University of Manchester has already established a strategic partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, paving the way for collaborative research in engineering, cancer research, and digital humanities
- AECOM joined Greater Manchester’s delegation in Austin in March 2025 for roundtable discussions on infrastructure and investment
- The partnership aims to unlock business connections, knowledge sharing, and cultural exchanges benefiting residents and businesses in both cities
Manchester (Manchester Mirror)June 10, 2026 — Greater Manchester has formally strengthened its relationship with Austin, Texas after signing a new Sister City Agreement, cementing a partnership that leaders describe as a “perfect match” between two globally significant innovation hubs. The historic agreement was signed on 4 June 2026 by Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, who confirmed that
- Key Points
- Why Is This Sister City Partnership Between Greater Manchester and Austin Considered Historic?
- What Areas of Collaboration Will the Sister City Agreement Cover?
- How Does the University Partnership Between Manchester and Austin Support the Sister City Agreement?
- What Role Did Business Leaders Play in Developing the Manchester-Austin Partnership?
- Background: How Did Greater Manchester and Austin Develop This Friendship Cities Partnership?
- Prediction: How Will This Sister City Development Affect Greater Manchester Residents, Students, and Businesses?
“Austin, Texas and Greater Manchester, UK are officially Sister Cities”.
As reported by Kirk Watson of Austin’s official LinkedIn account, the formalisation unlocks opportunities in economic development, innovation, science & technology, education, tourism, arts & music, and urban development.
Why Is This Sister City Partnership Between Greater Manchester and Austin Considered Historic?
The 2026 Sister City Agreement marks the first time a UK city-region has formed a formal sister city partnership with a Texas city since the UK Government signed its landmark Statement of Mutual Cooperation on economic development and trade with the United States in March 2024. The agreement evolved from a 2025 Friendship Cities Agreement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed during a visit by Greater Manchester leaders to Austin. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, and Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, signed the MOU with Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, establishing the foundation for the current sister city status.
Mayor Andy Burnham stated:
“The MOU we have signed with Austin further strengthens ties between Greater Manchester and Texas, unlocking significant opportunities for both places”.
As reported by KXAN Austin News, Mayor Burnham explained that the partnership is a “perfect match” between the two regions, highlighting complementary strengths in technology, innovation, and cultural sectors.
What Areas of Collaboration Will the Sister City Agreement Cover?
Under the Sister City Agreement, Greater Manchester and Austin will collaborate across seven specific priority areas:
The partnership explicitly aims to encourage knowledge sharing, business connections, and cultural exchanges that benefit residents and businesses in both cities.
How Does the University Partnership Between Manchester and Austin Support the Sister City Agreement?
The sister city agreement builds on existing institutional collaborations, most notably the strategic partnership between The University of Manchester and the University of Texas at Austin. As reported by The University of Manchester, the two world-leading universities signed a university-wide strategic partnership in March 2025 that
“paves the way for collaborative research and teaching initiatives”.
Both institutions recognise shared research expertise across engineering, nanotechnologies, cancer research, digital humanities, social sciences, and creative industries.
Professor from The University of Manchester stated:
“This new relationship with the University of Texas at Austin will make an impact across all of our faculties. We look forward to driving forward collaborative research and enhanced opportunities for two-way student and staff mobility, as we work together to tackle key key global challenges”.
A UT Austin representative added:
“Both institutions are powerhouses of innovative research, and contribute a great deal to their regional economies – through commercialising start-ups and spin-outs and wider business support. Combining their expertise can only lead to significant economic and educational benefits for both places”.
What Role Did Business Leaders Play in Developing the Manchester-Austin Partnership?
Business leaders were integral to the partnership’s development. AECOM, the global infrastructure leader, joined Mayor Andy Burnham’s delegation in Austin in March 2025 for roundtable discussions with city and business leaders from both cities. As reported by AECOM’s press release, these discussions “highlighted the importance of Manchester-Austin collaboration in driving investment and regional growth, and the opportunities that shared learnings and cooperation can bring for cross-city partnerships”.
The roundtables fostered shared learnings on infrastructure development, with AECOM’s involvement demonstrating how private sector engagement can accelerate cross-city investment.
Background: How Did Greater Manchester and Austin Develop This Friendship Cities Partnership?
The sister city agreement evolved through a structured two-year diplomatic process. In March 2024, the UK Government signed a Statement of Mutual Cooperation with the United States on economic development and trade, creating the framework for city-region partnerships. Following this, Greater Manchester leaders undertook a strategic visit to Austin in early March 2025 to promote economic and cultural ties.
During the 2025 visit, Mayor Andy Burnham and Cllr Bev Craig signed the Friendship Cities Agreement (MOU) with Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, marking “the first partnership between a UK city-region and Texas” under the UK Government’s 2024 framework. The MOU established initial collaboration channels, with AECOM joining the delegation for infrastructure roundtables. The University of Manchester simultaneously signed its strategic partnership with UT Austin in March 2025, creating academic underpinnings for the broader city-region relationship.
Over the following year, both cities built on the MOU framework through continued engagement, culminating in Mayor Kirk Watson’s 4 June 2026 announcement that the partnership had been formalised as a Sister City Agreement. Austin Sister Cities International, which “cultivates global relationships with Austin’s sister cities that engage our communities in citizen diplomacy while offering educational, cultural, and [economic] opportunities,” has now added Greater Manchester to its network.
Prediction: How Will This Sister City Development Affect Greater Manchester Residents, Students, and Businesses?
This development will create tangible benefits across multiple audiences in Greater Manchester. For students and academics, the existing University of Manchester-UT Austin partnership will expand under the sister city framework, enabling increased two-way student mobility, joint research programmes, and enhanced opportunities in engineering, cancer research, and digital humanities. Students will gain access to collaborative teaching initiatives and potential exchange programmes with one of America’s top research universities.
For businesses and entrepreneurs, the agreement unlocks significant economic development opportunities. Greater Manchester’s startup ecosystem will gain access to Austin’s renowned technology and innovation sector, facilitating business connections, investment flows, and knowledge sharing on commercialising start-ups and spin-outs. Companies in science, technology, and urban development sectors will benefit from cross-city partnerships and shared learnings on infrastructure.
For residents and cultural audiences, the partnership will expand arts and music collaborations, tourism flows, and cultural exchange programmes. Greater Manchester’s world-renowned music industry will find new partnership opportunities with Austin’s “hipster capital” music scene, potentially creating joint festivals, artist exchanges, and cultural events. Tourism will increase as both cities promote visitor programmes, with residents gaining access to new cultural experiences and travel opportunities.
For urban planners and local government, the collaboration on urban development will provide access to Austin’s expertise in sustainable city planning and infrastructure, enabling Greater Manchester to implement shared learnings on regional growth. The partnership positions Greater Manchester as a key UK node in Texas-UK economic relations, potentially attracting additional investment and strengthening the region’s global profile as an innovation hub.
