Greater Manchester has signed a formal Sister City Agreement with the US city of Austin, cementing a fast-growing international relationship and kicking off a new era of closer collaboration between our growing economies.
The agreement will foster closer collaboration in innovation, education, tourism, culture and music, and seeks to create trade and investment opportunities for businesses on both sides.
Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, was joined by Kirk Watson, Mayor of Austin, to sign the agreement at a special ceremony in Manchester on Thursday 4 June.
It was the highlight of a two-day visit by a delegation of Austin-based business, civic and cultural leaders, which follows longstanding engagement between the two places and Greater Manchester’s previous missions to Texas in 2023 and 2025. As part of this relationship, 16 businesses from Greater Manchester’s creative industries have been taken to the US under the GM Business Growth Hub’s Create Growth programme.
The signing ceremony was followed by a celebration event at MediaCityUK which featured musical performances by artists from both sides of the Atlantic.
Other activities included a business reception at SISTER, Manchester’s new innovation district, and a tour of The University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), highlighting Greater Manchester’s strengths in advanced materials and opening up further opportunities for collaboration. During last year’s trade mission, the University signed a strategic partnership with the University of Texas at Austin.
The delegation also visited video game developer Cloud Imperium Games and engineering giant AECOM – companies with a major presence in both Greater Manchester and Austin.
The Sister City Agreement marks the first partnership between a UK city region and Texas since the UK Government signed their landmark Statement of Mutual Cooperation on economic development and trade in March 2024.
Austin is the capital city of the state of Texas and is one of the fastest growing cities in the US, with strengths in the digital, life sciences, engineering and manufacturing sectors.
The city’s official motto is “The Live Music Capital of the World” due to its wealth of music venues and hosting of festivals like South by South West (SXSW) and Austin City Limits.
Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Our Sister City Agreement is the culmination of working with our friends in Austin over many years, but it is also the start of an exciting new chapter. There are real opportunities for us to work more closely together on trade and investment, research and innovation, education, and the culture and music that both our places are known for, all underpinned by the shared values and civic spirit that connect us.
“We thank Mayor Watson and the Austin delegation for joining us in Greater Manchester, and we look forward to turning this agreement into meaningful collaboration and shared success.”
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth, said: “We have a strong and growing partnership with Austin, progressive cities built on our shared values, two of the fastest growing city economies in our respective countries, industrial strengths and vibrant cultural and music scenes. It was a privilege to welcome the delegation from Austin to Greater Manchester this week and to formalise that relationship by becoming sister cities.
“Greater Manchester cultivates long term partnerships that bring benefits, jobs and opportunities to our residents. This agreement marks an important milestone and reflects the confidence both places have in what we can achieve together. We have already seen the value of closer co-operation with cities and regions all over the world, and by becoming sister cities with Austin, we can take this even further and create new opportunities for our businesses and residents.”
Kirk Watson, Mayor of Austin, said: “Today’s signing unlocks opportunities for Austin and Greater Manchester in economic development, innovation, science and technology, education, tourism, arts and music, and urban development.
“Connecting with international partners brings massive wins straight back home to Austinites. The high-wage jobs we’re creating don’t just boost our quality of life – they attract funding for medical breakthroughs and green tech, bring microchip manufacturing back to the US, and pay for the parks, roads, and city services we use every day.
“Plus, this global attention keeps our iconic live music and arts culture thriving. As we mature into our role on the world stage, we’re focused on growing these benefits for our entire community.”
