First projects funded by Local Innovation Partnership Fund announced in Liverpool

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced the first two projects to receive funding in the Liverpool City Region (LCR) through its Local Innovation Partnership Fund (LIPF), according to a press release published on 1 June 2026. Led by the University of Liverpool, the projects are set to receive £23.7 million. The allocation is the first drawn from £30 million earmarked for the City Region in July 2025. The funding was agreed locally by the LCR Local Innovation Partnership Group. It aims to boost high-potential innovation clusters in the region.

The national £500 million LIPF, led by UKRI, is designed to support the development and scaling of high-potential existing and emerging innovation clusters across the UK. All funded projects must involve academia, industry, and government. They must also deliver real world impact, advancing knowledge, improving lives, and driving growth. In the LCR, LIPF projects are additionally required to ensure local communities are directly involved and benefit. The announcement coincides with the start of the LCR Innovation Investment Fortnight.

The University of Liverpool’s AIM-HI programme has received £15 million to build on the Materials Innovation Factory and create a new high-growth chemical super cluster in the City Region. This is matched by £30 million of industry funding. The chemical sector accounts for 9% of manufacturing jobs in the North West and faces translational gaps. AIM-HI will bridge academic work on AI for chemistry and industry to ensure full commercial exploitation. It targets a sector critical to the UK’s manufacturing base.

The second project, the National Biofilms Innovation Centre: Liverpool Engine (NBIC-LIVE), has received £8.7 million. It will establish the world’s first centre of innovation excellence dedicated to AI and machine learning-enabled rapid innovation of antimicrobial and anti-biofilm surfaces. Biofilms are responsible for 80% of infections and major industrial costs. Professor Sir Ian Chapman, Chief Executive Officer of UKRI, said: “The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund exists to ensure that world-class research gets into the hands of local organisations and businesses to create real economic value in communities across the UK.” He added that Liverpool City Region is demonstrating how that works.

The £23.7 million investment is expected to unlock new opportunities for businesses to scale, support high-value job creation, and drive forward the development of new technologies with global impact. Running from 1 to 12 June, the Innovation Investment Fortnight will showcase more than £2 billion of investment opportunities across over 25 events. The festival brings together international investors, businesses, researchers, and policymakers. The Local Innovation Partnership Group, convened by the LCR Combined Authority, comprises representatives from civic institutions, universities, industry, and the social economy. The group makes funding decisions locally on the LIPF.