Advancing Biofilm Technologies: The National Biofilms Innovation Centre at the University of Liverpool
Established in 2017 by the Universities of Liverpool, Edinburgh, Nottingham, and Southampton with funding from BBSRC and Innovate UK, the UK’s National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) is driving research, innovation, skills, entrepreneurship, and policy in biofilm technologies, addressing the grand challenges important to the UK’s future prosperity.
NBIC unites a consortium of over 300 industry collaborators to tackle the grand challenges of biofilms, delivering scientific breakthroughs, commercial opportunities, and societal benefits. NBIC accelerates translation from research to real-world impact and is building the talent pipeline to secure the UK’s global leadership in biofilm science and innovation.
In 2026, NBIC-Liverpool secured £10.9 million through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Local Innovation Partnership Fund (LIPF) as part of the £26 million NBIC-LIVE (Liverpool Engine for Antimicrobial Surface Technologies) programme. The investment will establish the world's first centre of excellence dedicated to AI-enabled rapid innovation of antimicrobial and anti-biofilm surfaces, positioning the Liverpool City Region as a global leader in advanced biofilm technologies.
The Challenge
Microbes create sophisticated communities called biofilms where numerous microorganisms live together and are attached to surfaces. The global impact of biofilms on the world economy is > $5tn p.a. They constitute 80% of infections, compromise medical devices and foment Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), predicted to cause 10 million deaths by 2050. Biofilms create severe problems for the £15 billion personal healthcare sector and cause spoilage in the £70 billion UK food sector and contamination across water, oil, gas, net zero and marine industries.
Liverpool’s Novel Surface Technology at the Frontline
The onset of biofilms occurs when microorganisms attach and colonise a surface. Preventing and controlling biofilm formation is a powerful strategy, stopping the problem at the onset. NBIC-LIVE is pioneering innovation in next-generation antimicrobial, anti-biofilm and anti-viral surfaces, coatings and materials.
Through powerful academic and industry collaborations, NBIC has catalysed investments in 90 technologies, nurtured the creation of 13 spin-out companies, delivered 43 Intellectual Property (IP) filings, and supported the career development of 75 PhD students. At Liverpool, NBIC has already delivered significant impact through its strategic partnerships with leading global companies, including Unilever, NSG Pilkington (part of the NSG Group) and a diverse range of SMEs, driving transformative innovation across multiple industrial sectors. Together, these achievements demonstrate NBIC's pivotal role in translating cutting-edge research into real-world innovation, economic growth, and societal benefit.
These achievements provided the foundation for NBIC-LIVE, enabling the scale up its impact and accelerate the development and commercial adoption of next-generation antimicrobial technologies.
NBIC-LIVE: Building a Global Centre of Excellence for Advanced Biofilm Technologies
Building on NBIC's success, the £26 million NBIC-LIVE programme is establishing a world-first Centre of Excellence for AI-enabled antimicrobial and anti-biofilm surface technologies in Liverpool. Supported by a £10.9 million Local Innovation Partnership Fund award, NBIC-LIVE combines world-leading expertise in biofilm science, surface engineering, imaging, artificial intelligence and machine learning to accelerate industrial innovation and economic growth.
The programme will create an internationally distinctive open innovation asset, including high-throughput fabrication, testing and validation platforms that enable companies to rapidly develop and commercialise next-generation antimicrobial and anti-biofilm technologies. By connecting universities, SMEs, multinational companies, healthcare providers and investors, NBIC-LIVE will accelerate the translation of frontier interdisciplinary science into commercial and clinical applications.
NBIC-LIVE's remit will crosscut four regional growth clusters -health/life sciences, digital, advanced manufacturing, maritime- and will strengthen Liverpool City Region's position as a global hub for innovation in infection prevention, antimicrobial resistance, medical technologies, consumer products and resilient infrastructures. Alongside driving business growth and attracting inward investment, NBIC-LIVE will deliver specialist skills training, workforce development and public engagement activities, helping to build the talent pipeline needed to support long-term regional prosperity.
Driving Innovation-Led Economic Growth
NBIC-LIVE is one of two flagship University of Liverpool programmes selected by Liverpool City Region through UKRI's Local Innovation Partnership Fund. The programme is designed not only to advance scientific discovery but also to accelerate the adoption of new technologies by industry, increase access to innovation infrastructure for regional businesses, and support the creation of high-value jobs.
The programme addresses critical gaps in the UK's innovation pipeline by helping companies move more rapidly from applied research to commercial deployment, strengthening supply chains and maximising the value of intellectual property generated in the region. Through its combination of cutting-edge facilities, industry partnerships and skills development, NBIC-LIVE will play a central role in establishing Liverpool City Region as an internationally recognised cluster for advanced biofilm and antimicrobial technologies.
Dr Neil Parry, Unilever’s Biotechnology R&D Lead said:
The collaboration across NBIC has significantly advanced R&D and translational opportunities for Unilever, enabling the establishment of biofilm microbiology expertise in the Materials Innovation Factory. This ambition of collective capability provides a platform for fundamental solutions and opportunities for society and industry challenges to emerge. The multidisciplinary talent generated across NBIC is further placing the UK asset base as a global leader for collaboration and outreach.
Image credit: Test Biofilm Platform to Assess Oral Technologies for Unilever. University of Liverpool.
NBIC is the UK’s single front door for Biofilms research and innovation and has active partnerships with over 300 companies. The NBIC-LIVE programme will bring powerful new innovation platforms to drive Liverpool’s growth agenda, as our city region sets ambitious targets for the coming decade. We are strongly committed to the ethos of academia and industry collaborating together, bringing our collective knowledge, strengths and talents to deliver strong innovation pipelines and address some of society’s most pressing problems.