University of Manchester goes all in on Microsoft 365 Copilot
What does it take to bring AI to an entire university community? This customer story video shows how the University of Manchester deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot to 65,000 students and staff with a focus on governance, transparency, and structured training. Watch the video to spark ideas for scaling AI responsibly at your organisation.
What is the University of Manchester doing with Microsoft 365 Copilot?
The University of Manchester is rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot across the entire institution. This means all **65,000 students and staff** will have access to Copilot within the Microsoft 365 tools they already use, such as Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to **rethink how people work, learn, and collaborate** using AI. Rather than limiting Copilot to a small pilot group, the university is making it available at scale so that everyone—from academic staff to professional services and students—can explore how AI can support their day‑to‑day tasks and long‑term projects.
How is the university supporting responsible use of Copilot?
Alongside the technical rollout, the University of Manchester is putting a strong focus on **training and guidance** so that Copilot is used in a thoughtful and responsible way.
The university is:
- Providing **training resources** to help people understand what Copilot can and cannot do.
- Emphasising **effective use**, such as using Copilot to draft, summarise, and organise information rather than to replace critical thinking.
- Highlighting **responsible use**, including checking AI‑generated content, respecting academic integrity, and being transparent about when AI tools are involved in the work.
This combination of access plus structured support is designed to help the community **reimagine everyday workflows** while maintaining academic and professional standards.
Why partner with Microsoft on this AI initiative?
The University of Manchester is partnering with Microsoft because Microsoft 365 Copilot is embedded in the tools the university community already uses every day. By working with Microsoft, the university can:
- **Integrate AI into existing workflows** in Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, rather than introducing a completely separate system.
- Benefit from Microsoft’s **enterprise‑grade security and compliance**, which is important for a large institution with **65,000 users**.
- Collaborate directly with Microsoft UK leadership—highlighted by the involvement of **Microsoft UK CEO Darren Hardman**—to **reshape how teaching, research, and administration** can be supported by AI.
This approach allows the university to build on familiar tools while **reimagining how people create, communicate, and manage information** across the campus.
University of Manchester goes all in on Microsoft 365 Copilot
published by Definitive Solutions
Definitive Solutions was founded in 1999 by Peter Meade who has over 30 years in the IT industry. We deliver IT managed services, cloud and security solutions to our SMB and Enterprise clients throughout Ireland and Internationally.
We are not just another MSP; our technical skill is given, but our success has been built on the ethos of trust and our focus is always on building strong relationships. Our approach is to really understand our clients’ business challenges and goals, and implement bespoke technology products and services which meet their unique business requirements.
As an independent private company, you can trust us to give impartial advice. We stand over every product and service we recommend and will only offer the right solutions for our clients. There is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’.
Our focus on professional trust and relationships does not just apply to our long-established clients; it continues within our dedicated team, evidenced by one of the strongest retention rates in the industry, and with our partners.
All of the growth and success our business has enjoyed is a result of our outstanding team of people and we all share a passion for providing the best customer experience.
Our clients range across all industry verticals including financial services, public sector, distribution, pharma and charities. Many of our clients operate within highly regulated industries, and adhere to strict compliance and regulation standards and we work closely with them to ensure their technology strategy is aligned with their compliance responsibilities.
Sign in with LinkedIn