Biofilm Alliance Forum

Biofilm Alliance Forum, bringing together academia, industry and regulators to develop the next stage of biofilms guidelines.

Join Us

The Biofilm Alliance, an Innovate UK funded Regulatory Science and Innovation Network, is pleased to announce a 1.5 day workshop covering the challenges of biofilm methods and regulatory guidance development for products targeting biofilms in the built environment, food, water and industrial processes sectors. We encourage participants to attend and engage with all 4 topics to ensure cross-industry learning and collaboration.

These workshops will bring together stakeholders from specific industries, academic experts in relevant research disciplines, and representatives from regulatory bodies as well as metrology and standardisation organisations.

The aim of these workshops is to create an open forum to identify challenges in biofilm methodologies, regulatory guidelines, and needs within specific industry sectors, and to determine the necessary actions to address those needs. The findings from the workshops will also inform the direction of Biofilm Alliance and contribute to outputs specifically designed to inform regulators and other key stakeholders.

Who should attend - Academia, industry and regulators involved in biofilms work in the following sectors:

Food
Water
Built Environment
Industrial Processes

Location - Manchester Metropolitan University, Dalton Building
Date - 1st and 2nd of July 2025
Time - 09.00 - 17.00
For Registration See Below

Day 1: 1st July 2025

09:00 – 09:30: Registration and Coffee
09:30 – 09:45: Welcome Talk and Overview of the Biofilm Alliance – Dr James Redfern, Manchester Metropolitan University
09:45 – 10:05: Guest speaker: Into the unknown – the implementation of biofilm standards within the efficacy testing landscape – Dr Tracy Rivett, BluTest
10:05 – 10:55 Workshop Session 1: What biofilm methodologies are industries currently using to meet regulatory requirements?
10:55 – 11:15 Tea/Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:15 Workshop Session 2: What are the challenges and needs in addressing biofilms in industry?
12:15 – 13:15: Lunch
13:15 – 13:35: Guest speaker: Understanding and Managing Biofilms in Recreational Water Industries – James Lee, Hydro Finesse
13:35 – 15:05: Workshop Session 3: What solutions could be proposed to address the above difficulties?
15:05 – 15:25: Tea/Coffee Break
15:25 – 16:30 Panel Discussion and Wrap-Up

Day 2: 2nd July 2025

09:00 – 09:30 Morning Coffee
09:30 – 10:00 Recap of Day 1 Conversations
10:00 – 11:30 Workshop Session 4: Cross-sector collaboration and sector-specific discussion
11:30 – 11:50 Tea/Coffee Break
11:50 – 12:30 Closing Talk and Summary
12:30 End of Workshop

Travel Information

Travelling to Manchester Metropolitan University

Information on travelling to Manchester Metropolitan University can be found below:

https://www.mmu.ac.uk/about-us/our-campus/travel

Address: Dalton Building, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, United Kingdom

Recommended Hotels and Accommodation

Hotel Name	Distance to Dalton Building	Price for 1 night 1st - 2nd July
Pendulum Hotel	~600 m (8-minute walk)	£84.15
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel	~600 m (8-minute walk)	£145
Maldron Hotel Manchester City Centre	~400 m (5-minute walk)	£119.21
Holiday Inn Express Manchester City Centre	~290 m (4-minute walk)	£136
Hyatt House Manchester	~400 m (5-minute walk)	£223
Roomzzz Manchester City	~900 m (12-minute walk)	£118.80
Voco Manchester – City Centre	~900 m (12-minute walk)	£172
Leonardo Hotel Manchester Central	~900 m (12-minute walk)	£171
Novotel Manchester Centre	~900 m (12-minute walk)	£133
Ibis Manchester Centre 96 Portland Street	~900 m (12-minute walk)	£97