National Biofilms Innovation Centre Drives Substantial Economic Impact Through Innovations
A new economic review highlights a number of significant impacts following a £16m investment into UK biofilm research between December 2017 and December 2022, demonstrating a total impact of approximately £204m, extending throughout the UK economy.
The independent review, from Black Kite Ltd, assessed the economic impact of the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC), an Innovation Knowledge Centre (IKC) funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK to create a fusion of world-class interdisciplinary research and industry partnerships to deliver breakthrough science and technologies to control and exploit biofilms.
NBIC was launched in 2017 by its four lead Universities (Edinburgh, Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton) and is led by four Co-Directors: Professors Cait MacPhee, Rasmita Raval, Miguel Cámara and Jeremy Webb.
We are delighted to see the economic impact NBIC has had during its first phase. The University of Nottingham has been a key contributor to that through cash and in-kind contributions, the attraction of public and private funding and the provision of a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary training environment for biofilm research innovators across different fields. I have no doubts that our ambitious plans for Phase 2 will enable NBIC to escalate this level of impact”.
Biofilms are central to our most important global challenges, from antimicrobial resistance and food safety to water security. These communities of living micro-organisms also provide a significant contribution to both the UK and global economy. In May 2022, a study carried out by NBIC estimated that the value of the markets in which biofilms are involved is worth £45 billion in the UK and $4 trillion globally.
NBIC’s Proof of Concept projects have demonstrated environmental and social benefits, estimated at £23m and £30.5m. Engaging with over three hundred businesses, including leading corporations, as well as numerous SMEs, NBIC continues to expand its network of collaborators. These span a wide range of sectors, including health, water management, marine and food production.
A key outcome found in the economic review is job creation, with fifty-one positions established, including secondments, research posts, and jobs at spin-out companies. Furthermore, NBIC’s influence has contributed to the creation and development of an additional fifty jobs. NBIC has been instrumental in nurturing talent, with seventy-six students benefiting from support, including sixty-six PhD candidates, six of whom are international students.
NBIC’s core universities have attracted an additional £32.9m of public and private funds, which is estimated to have an economic output of almost £43m so far, with a greater economic value still to be realised as the additional research funds are used. In addition, clusters of biofilm activity within the regions of the NBIC associated universities have attracted further public and industry funding, with an estimated total impact of £8.1m.
The organisation has established international partnerships with renowned institutions such as the Centre for Biofilm Engineering in Montana and the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and has played a leading role in forming the International Biofilm Standards Task Group.
In December 2022, BBSRC and Innovate UK invested a further £7.5m to support Phase 2 of the programme to enable NBIC to drive the adoption of innovative solutions across industry sectors to address major global challenges including climate change, water safety and improved healthcare. It will also drive step-changes in standards and regulation for novel biofilm solutions that support international trade.
UKRI recently commissioned an independent review into the IKC programme to gain an understanding of the programme’s impact to date, feedback on the scheme and recommendations for future evolution, which evidences further NBIC’s contribution to research and innovation in the UK.
Dr Lee Beniston FRSB, Associate Director for Industry Partnerships and Collaboration at BBSRC, said: “There have been so many impressive achievements at NBIC since the centre was established in 2017, which I have had the privilege of being part of. I am delighted that now, through this economic review, there is an opportunity to share and celebrate this success. I offer my congratulations to all those at NBIC, as well as the wider research and innovation communities which NBIC supports, for their role in making NBIC the globally recognised centre of excellence in biofilms research and innovation that it is today. The underpinning collaboration between BBSRC and Innovate UK has been a critical part of this success which I am delighted to see continue for another five years in support of NBIC Phase 2.”