Bid for UK Biofilm Centre

On Friday 13th January a part-NAMRIP-sponsored meeting, regarding the IKC Biofilm bid, was held in the Council Rooms of the Royal Society in London. The meeting was chaired and organised by Prof Jeremy Webb, and was attended by academic and industry partners from across the UK who are planning to submit a bid to BBSRC and Innovate UK to establish a Biofilms Innovation Knowledge Centre (IKC). An investment of approximately £12.5M will be requested to establish the IKC, to which industry and other sources will contribute additional funds. NAMRIP's themes of AMR, infection prevention and vaccination, where they relate to biofilms, will contribute to the IKC, which will have a range of other interests covering both the positive and negative aspects of biofilms in, for example, the marine and maritime sectors, healthcare, manufacturing and food production. Clint Styles, as NAMRIP’s Industry and Bids Coordination Director, covered both his own duties, and those of Prof Leighton (who was unable to attend owing to ill health).