National Biofilm Innovations Centre (NBIC) Biofilm Engineering Workshop: Tuesday 30th April, Edinburgh

Differentiation of bacteria

NBIC are hosting a second workshop, after the success of the first on Biofilm Detection in September 2018, to explore challenges, opportunities and advances in Biofilm Engineering.

The workshop on Biofilm Engineering will take place on Tuesday 30th April in Edinburgh, and is the second of four workshops NBIC are hosting across the four strategic themes in tackling biofilms: Prevent, Detect, Manage and Engineer.

What are biofilms?

Biofilms are formed by groups of microorganisms when cells stick to each other or adhere to a surface. They can occur in a multitude of situations across the built and natural environment, and can have effects across multiple sectors and supply chains, including manufacturing, food, medical devices and transport. In fact, biofilms are part of everyday life – from the plaque that builds up on our teeth to the biofouling on ships’ hulls.

Biofilm Engineering

Biofilms tend to be regarded as a problem, but they can be a useful resource providing benefits such as the removal of pollutants, the potential production of pharmaceuticals and the production of biofuels on an industrial scale, as highlighted in last year’s KTN report. The National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) is hosting its second industrial/academic cross-sector Workshop on Biofilm Engineering on Tuesday April 30th at the EICC venue in Edinburgh. The workshop follows on from the successful first workshop, which covered Biofilm Detection.