Liverpool is putting public money behind two of its deepest research strengths. Two University of Liverpool-led projects are set to receive £23.7m from the government’s Local Innovation Partnership Fund, the city region has announced — a targeted bet on materials chemistry and the science of fighting infection. The projects were detailed by Growth Platform, the city region’s growth company.
Two world-class bets
The larger award, £15m, goes to the university’s AIM-HI programme to build on the success of the Materials Innovation Factory and create a new high-growth “chemical super-cluster” in the city region — and it is matched by a further £30m of industry funding, a strong signal of private confidence. The second, £8.7m, will establish the National Biofilms Innovation Centre: Liverpool Engine (NBIC-LIVE), billed as the world’s first centre dedicated to AI and machine-learning-enabled innovation of antimicrobial and anti-biofilm technologies.
Why this is a smart use of money
What stands out is the focus. Rather than spreading funds thinly, Liverpool is doubling down on areas where it already has globally significant assets — the Materials Innovation Factory is one of the most advanced facilities of its kind anywhere. Backing proven strengths with the matched industry money to scale them is exactly how research translates into companies and jobs.
The timing, during Liverpool City Region’s Innovation Investment Fortnight, is no accident: the city is making a concerted pitch as a national innovation powerhouse. With antimicrobial resistance among the defining health challenges of the century, a world-first centre tackling it with AI is the kind of moonshot that can put a city on the global map. For Liverpool, it is research strength turned into strategic advantage.
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