Institutional change and regeneration: a biography of the Computer Science Department at the University of Manchester

Some developments in the Computer Science Department at the University of Manchester that influenced its growth from a premodern engineering-oriented department to a large, complex department with a range of interdisciplinary research activities that span most aspects of computer science are outlined. The changes in patterns of research output, recruitment of academic staff, and sources of research funding are discussed. It is argued that the Department became what can be considered to be a modern research-oriented enterprise, widening the scope of its research, its connections with industry and other academic departments, and its interdisciplinary research because of internal policies as well as external influences, such as government policy.<>