Business leaders have joined forces with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to explore the potential use of new vein ID biometric technology that could be used in the region's transport, education and healthcare services.
The group, chaired by Mike Blackburn OBE, director of The Growth Company and Marketing Manchester, will examine the technology which uses the unique finger vein pattern to provide secure, identity-enabled transactions.
The company behind the technology, FinGo, believes the biometric solution could connect people to key services in the region more seamlessly and securely.
It was initially launched in the hospitality sector for payments, and has been adapted for identity purposes in recent months.
Manchester City Council was the first local authority in the UK to approve FinGo for verifying age in licensed premises, currently in use at The Alchemist Spinningfields. It has also been used in hospitality venues to securely collect customer details for NHS Test and Trace purposes.
Mr Blackburn is joined on the panel by partners including Andrew Toolan of Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency (MIDAS), Nicola Kane from Transport for Greater Manchester, Jenny Singleton and Nicholas Allward of Manchester Metropolitan University, Rachel Kenyon from the University of Manchester and Steve Cochrane from the Oxford Road Science Corridor. That's as well as Nick Dryden, Simon Binns and Katie Brownridge of FinGo.
Mayor Burnham said: “There’s real promise for biometric technology to positively impact the way we live, work and move around the city.
"The working group will determine how best to integrate FinGo into Greater Manchester’s public services, particularly in connecting young people to the transport and education services they use every day.
"It’s something we’re very excited to explore and there’s an opportunity here for Greater Manchester to pave the way forward to be the first region to embrace Vein ID city-wide.”
Mike Blackburn OBE, chair of the working group, said: “By getting the right people around the table, across our education, science and transport networks, the working group is keen to assess how this innovative technology could be mapped out across Greater Manchester.
"This is a solution that should be shaped for our communities and in line with their needs, in GMCA’s drive to improve how we live, work and play post-pandemic.”
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, added: “Innovation and the knowledge economy will play an important role in the city and wider region's recovery from the economic impacts of Covid-19 and its future prospects.
“It's great to see a Manchester-based company at the forefront of biometric technology which looks set to have some exciting practical implications and helps underline our growing status as a tech hub."
