NBIC Awards £357,891 to Seven Industry-Led Projects Tackling Biofilm Challenges
The National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) is delighted to announce funding for seven collaborative projects through its Industrial Challenge Response Fund (ICRF), awarding a total of £357,891 to support innovative solutions to major biofilm-related challenges across a diverse range of sectors, including energy, engineering biology, food, health, marine, personal care and water.
The latest ICRF call attracted 15 applications across the Initial Fund and Follow-on Fund streams, bringing together 10 universities and 14 businesses in collaborative projects designed to accelerate the translation of biofilm research into real-world impact.
Following independent assessment and a competitive review process involving written evaluation, applicant presentations and panel discussions, NBIC has selected seven projects that will help tackle critical biofilm-related challenges and support the development of research-led solutions.
The funded projects demonstrate the breadth of biofilm innovation taking place across the UK and align with NBIC’s strategic themes to Prevent, Detect, Manage and Engineer (PDME) biofilms. Together, they address challenges ranging from healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance to wastewater treatment, sustainable manufacturing, energy production and critical infrastructure resilience.
Accelerating UK Biofilm Innovation and Collaboration
Aligned with the UK Government’s modern industrial strategy and shaped by NBIC’s Industrial Advisory Board, the ICRF is designed to remove sector-specific barriers and accelerate innovation through flexible, industry-focused funding. The scheme supports rapid, low-risk collaboration between academia and industry, providing targeted investment for feasibility studies, prototyping, regulatory and intellectual property activities, as well as follow-on funding to help promising innovations reach key development milestones. By requiring private sector co-investment, the fund is designed to leverage significant additional industry investment while extending NBIC’s established model of bringing businesses and researchers together to accelerate innovation, address industry challenges and deliver solutions with lasting impact.
Building on a Strong Track Record of Translational Innovation
The latest awards build on NBIC’s established track record of supporting collaborative innovation. Since December 2017, NBIC has delivered 6 translational funding calls, awarding support to 104 collaborative projects from 256 applications involving 52 research institutions and 174 principal investigators. This represents a total investment of £4.9 million from NBIC and an overall project value of £9.4 million, helping to expand the reach of biofilm innovation across an increasingly diverse range of sectors and application areas.
Professor Jo Slater-Jefferies, NBIC Chief Executive Officer, said:
“This ICRF call attracted an excellent range of collaborative projects that demonstrate both the strength of UK biofilm research and the appetite from industry to work with academic partners to address critical biofilm-related challenges.
The projects we are supporting have the potential to deliver significant health, environmental and economic benefits, while strengthening the partnerships needed to accelerate innovation and translation. We look forward to working with the teams as they develop these exciting technologies and solutions.”
Awarded Projects
Progression of a novel inorganic antibiofilm urinary catheter coating towards market – Nottingham Trent University and MetalloBio Ltd
This project will advance a novel antimicrobial coating for urinary catheters towards market readiness. The project aims to generate essential safety, biocompatibility and antimicrobial performance data using internationally recognised standards and realistic laboratory models, supporting regulatory approval and future clinical translation to help reduce catheter associated infections.
Chemical-free control of biofilms in metal pipes – Newcastle University and BP Exploration Operating Company Limited
Biofilm formation in metal pipes is a significant problem in many industries leading to fouling and corrosion. Biofilms in pipes are usually controlled with biocidal chemicals. The project aims to determine if a novel chemical-free technology that uses electromagnetic waves is effective in the control of detrimental biofilms.
Data centre cooling system anti-biofilm treatment validation – University of Southampton and RBT Ltd
Cooling systems for datacentres are critical, but they are also energy- and water-intensive components of modern critical infrastructure. Biofilm fouling causes health risks and increases water use and downtime. New and efficient treatments are needed but few specific biofilm solutions exist and validation is difficult. The project aims to validate performance of an anti-biofilm treatment.
Targeted Vaginal Delivery of Biofilm-Active Therapeutics – Glasgow Caledonian University and CC Biotech Ltd
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) represents a significant health/economic burden. Current treatments fail due antimicrobial resistance mediated by biofilm-based microbial communities. The team have developed a BV-targeting therapy which shows potent anti-biofilm and antimicrobial activity. This project will help finalise the therapeutic formulation of the drug prior to IND filing and clinical trials.
Increased yields of microbially synthesised polyesters for biobased textile fibres (MICRO-TEX) – University of Leeds and SO-G Technology Ltd
Upscaling polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) textile fibre synthesis from coffee waste, this project engineers robust Cupriavidus necator biofilms to transition from 3L to 17L bioreactors. Partnering with SO-G Technology Ltd, this project aims to overcome planktonic yield limits, delivering a commercially viable, biofilm-driven biomanufacturing platform for a circular textile bioeconomy.
Deployment-Ready Real-Time Control of Electroactive Biofilms in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies – METzero Technologies Ltd and Newcastle University
METzero and Newcastle University will develop a deployment-ready real-time control system for microbial electrochemical technologies (METs). The project will optimise electroactive biofilms during wastewater treatment while supporting safer, remotely operated and scalable industrial deployment pathways for next-generation resource recovery technologies.
Rotating Spiral Bioreactor for Continuous High-Yield Production of Lignocellulolytic Enzymes – University of Sheffield and Future Greens Farms Ltd
Continuous production of hydrolytic enzymes in a novel high performance rotating spiral bioreactor is impeded by biofilm-induced biofouling. This collaborative project between Future Greens Farms Ltd, a Sheffield-based business, and the University of Sheffield seeks to overcome biofouling to ultimately enhance sustainable energy generation from waste.
The Industrial Challenge Response Fund is designed to help industry overcome biofilm-related challenges by supporting collaborative innovation between businesses and researchers. The projects announced demonstrate the breadth of opportunities for biofilm science to deliver tangible benefits across multiple sectors, from improving health outcomes and environmental sustainability to enhancing industrial productivity and resilience.