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BAE Systems 26 CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP One of the earliest aviation pioneers in the UK was A V Roe, who realised the importance of finding financial backing. After facing 'considerable indifference' in the south of England where most of his early work had taken place, he secured the backing he needed from his brother, who was a successful Manchester businessman. A factory was established in Ancoats in Manchester. A V Roe's relocation and subsequent expansion established this core of knowledge and how to integrate the components from a supply chain in single operating systems. Victorian Manchester has a well-known history as a place where industrialists gathered and connected. One of the apocryphal stories is that on May 4, 1904 Charles Rolls was introduced to Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, a meeting that spawned one of most prestigious brands in industry. Rolls came from an aristocratic family and had a background in engineering but excelled more as a salesman and entrepreneur. He also provided the financial capital for the business. Royce, who came from more humble beginnings, was the mechanical brain of the partnership. Together they aimed to provide engines "for use on land, or water, or in the air". This legacy continues today as the aerospace industry in the region surrounding Manchester and its supply chain is very strong, and BAE Systems, Airbus and Rolls Royce are all still major employers. Other companies established in the early years that leveraged the industrial base included Vickers and Maxim, in Barrow. www.baesystems.com Today, the excellence of industry and University research comes together, with many different disciplines such as aerodynamics, controls, materials, imaging and security all being key to a variety of commercial and military applications. A recent example is the early installation of the Rapiscan detectors at Manchester Airport, an organisation which has its own long history of innovation in commercial aviation in collaboration with the University. This culture of encouraging linkage between research and industry makes Manchester an attractive place for researchers who are interested in the application of their research to be based – the reason why key members of the University's Aerospace Research Institute came to or have returned to the area.