Meet the Partner: National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC)
If you were at Venturefest South 2025, you may have heard the term ‘biofilms’ come up more than once. It sparked a lot of curiosity, and if you didn’t make it to the talk sessions hosted by the National Biofilms Innovation Centre, don’t worry – here’s your chance to dive into their world and discover why biofilms are truly transformational. And at the heart of this innovation? The National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC), led by the University of Southampton.
What are biofilms?
Nature has spent billions of years engineering the world around us, from mountain peaks to the deep sea, from bees in your garden to the plaque on your teeth. Everywhere, life forms communities that rely on connection, collaboration, and resilience.
Biofilms are one of nature’s most remarkable examples of this. At the microscopic level, tiny organisms attach to surfaces, working together and secreting substances that protect them and bind them in place. The result is a living layer – a microbial community with its own structure, behaviour and purpose. These communities aren’t just clusters of microorganisms. They act like a new material, shaped by their environment and capable of huge impact.
Why biofilms matter?
Biofilms are everywhere: in water pipes, on medical devices, in food processing environments, and across natural ecosystems. Their influence touches almost every sector. They can cause challenges such as:
- Antibiotic-resistant infections
- Tooth decay and food spoilage
- Industrial corrosion
Together, these impacts are estimated to cost around $5 trillion globally each year. But, biofilms also offer enormous opportunities. They can help clean up oil spills, improve wastewater treatment, support environmental recovery, and even contribute to future energy production. The goal is clear – reduce their negative impacts and unlock their potential for good.
NBIC & the University of Southampton
The National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) is the UK’s hub for biofilm research, innovation, skills, entrepreneurship, and policy. Funded by BBSRC and Innovate UK, NBIC unites world-leading academic science with industry needs to drive breakthrough technologies.
Led by the University of Southampton, alongside the Universities of Edinburgh, Liverpool and Nottingham, NBIC brings together:
- 63 academic partners
- 300+ industry collaborators
- Government and policy stakeholders
Southampton is home to the UK’s largest concentration of biofilm experts, spanning biology, chemistry, medicine, engineering, ocean science and computational modelling. Through the Institute for Life Sciences, researchers explore everything from how biofilms form to how they behave in complex environments, all the way to developing new therapies to overcome antibiotic tolerance.
And through the Precision Bioscience Innovation Hub, Southampton is building advanced infrastructure and digital tools – such as big data systems and biological digital twins – to accelerate discovery and shape the future of sustainable health, environmental protection and food resilience.
To find out more 👉 biofilms.ac.uk
