The National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) are excited to announce the launch of two national photography competitions. ‘Biofilms in Real Life’ and ‘Biofilms in the Lab’ will run from January through to May 2021. A diverse panel of judges will take into account creativity, originality, composition, imagination used, scientific value and the overall artistic impression and Amazon gift cards will be awarded to first, second and third place in both competitions.

Full details of how to take part in the competitions and supporting resources can be found on the NBIC website.

The two photo competitions form part of NBIC’s #BiofilmAware campaign, which works to raise awareness of NBIC and its research, and the many societal and economic impacts of biofilms. The ‘Biofilms in Real Life’ competition is open to members of the public, researchers, academics, students and amateur photographers, whilst ‘Biofilms in the Lab’ offers an opportunity for scientists and researchers to submit images from their cutting-edge research.

Due to the pandemic many of us are at home for long periods of time, so this is a unique chance to get creative and explore biofilms in our everyday environments.

Dr Mark Richardson, NBIC CEO said,

“Never has awareness of the role of microorganisms in our life been so important. Creating compelling images of biofilms and how they impact everyday life is vital to our mission of prospecting and communicating methods of controlling and harnessing biofilms for environmental health and economic benefit for the UK. We encourage the public from all walks of life with a curiosity in their world to get involved! We also want talented scientists to share images demonstrating the beauty and wonder of the world of the microorganism”.

If you’re interested in supporting NBIC’s competition or campaign, a range of resources are available via NBIC’s #BiofilmAware campaign hub.

If you’re an academic in a research institution or a commercial organisation with a desire to join NBIC’s mission to achieve breakthroughs in biofilm innovation, please contact nbic@biofilms.ac.uk.

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About the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC)

The National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) is an Innovation Knowledge Centre (IKC) funded by the BBSRC, Innovate UK and the Hartree Centre and is led by four Universities (Edinburgh, Liverpool, Southampton and Nottingham), with a consortium of 52 academic partner institutions across the UK. It is the central hub where academia, industry, government, and public policy come together to tackle the grand challenges biofilms present, impacting ~$5 trillion in global economic activity, from food and health to ships, clean water and energy. NBIC’s mission is to establish a network of research and innovation capacity to catalyse partnerships with industry to achieve breakthrough innovations and impact. The centre also supports the development of technologies to prevent, detect, manage and engineer biofilms through translational Proof of Concept funding.   

Contact

Natasha Nater – Communications Manager natashan@biofilms.ac.uk | +44 (0) 2380 594446 | www.biofilms.ac.uk

National Biofilms Innovation Centre, Building 85, Institute of Life Sciences, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ