Increasing capability for collections research at the University of Manchester

This application for the urgent replacement and upgrading of core equipment for digital capture seeks to support a step-change in the research capability of collections held at the University of Manchester. The University's Library, Museum and Art Gallery hold some of the most important collections in the world. The Library's Special Collections of rare books, manuscripts, archives, maps and visual collections are internationally significant, and in the UK are the second most important university special collections after those of the University of Oxford.

These collections, which include the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, constitute approximately 6.75 million items and were Designated by Arts Council England in 2005. The collections of Manchester Museum are also large and varied, spanning several millennia and containing over four million objects, with particular strengths in archaeology and ancient civilisations.

The Whitworth Art Gallery's extensive and eclectic collection of art and design is also notable and contains the finest collection of artists' prints in the north of England, whilst its textile and wallpaper holdings are acknowledged as internationally important.

These rich and varied collections have provided the basis for a broad range of arts and humanities research by staff at the University of Manchester and by scholars from other universities. The holdings of all three institutions are heavily used by researchers from multiple disciplines and by those conducting interdisciplinary research who utilise a variety of innovative methodological approaches to collections-based research.

The provision of leading-edge equipment will enhance this research further and make new discoveries possible. It will future-proof our support of one of the leading heritage imaging units in the UK at the Library, and will uplift the Museum, Gallery and RACE Centre's capabilities in line with these standards. The equipment will provide flexible digitisation solutions based on the requirements of collections and researchers, and will support a multidisciplinary approach working across institutions.

As home not only to world-leading collections, but also to a critical mass of researchers, curators, conservators and imaging staff with the expertise and resources needed to maximise the benefits of upgrading and replacing core equipment that this scheme offers, the University of Manchester is ideally suited to benefit from the CapCo scheme. As a research-intensive university it is committed to supporting and undertaking excellent research.

It has already invested significantly in collections-based research and this bid provides the opportunity to build upon this, to strengthen its future research capability and capacity and to showcase the global significance of both its collections and its research.