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Greater Manchester's universities contribute more than Pounds 500 million per year to the local economy and account for 17,300 jobs in the north-west, says a survey conducted by academics at the universities of Manchester and Salford.

As well as employing 12,500 people directly they are indirectly responsible for a further 4,800. Staff pay and student and institutional spending put Pounds 378 million into the region, with multiplier effects providing a further Pounds 187 million.