The University of Manchester is a large research university situated in the city of Manchester, England. Manchester University - as it is commonly known - is a public university formed in 2004 by the merger of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (est. 1824) and the Victoria University of Manchester (est. 1851). Manchester is a member of the worldwide Universities Research Association group, the Russell Group of British research universities and the N8 Group. The University of Manchester has been a "red brick university" since 1880 when Victoria University gained its royal charter.