The Microbiome: Accelerating Innovation and Development (MAID) Hub has been shortlisted for the Bionow 2025 Project of the Year Award, recognising its role in delivering a step-change in microbiome innovation and commercialisation within the UK life sciences sector.

MAID is a flagship project within the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Life Sciences Innovation Zone, part of the UK Government’s national Investment Zone Programme. The Project has been designed to position the LCR as the UK’s leading centre for microbiome expertise, supporting innovation that creates jobs, attracts inward investment and addresses major health and economic opportunities emerging from microbiome research.

Led by the Microbiome Innovation Centre at the University of Liverpool, MAID brings together more than 70 specialist researchers and draws on over £40 million of world-class research infrastructure spanning human, animal and environmental microbiome science. Its distinctive one-stop-shop model provides companies and innovators with coordinated access to multi-omics capabilities, biobanking, specialist equipment and tailored scientific and commercial consultancy — enabling faster, more efficient progression from concept to market.

The Hub is delivered in partnership with the national technology innovation centre CPI, facilitating access to advanced development, scale-up and manufacturing expertise, including CPI’s £38 million biologics manufacturing facility. This end-to-end support ensures that microbiome innovations are supported across all technology readiness levels, from discovery to commercial deployment. MAID is further embedded within the regional innovation ecosystem through collaboration with LYVA Labs and the LCR Growth Platform, strengthening pathways for investment readiness and business growth.

MAID supports the development of microbiome-based therapeutics, diagnostics, antimicrobials and consumer products, addressing rapidly expanding global markets. The global microbiome sector represents a multi-billion-pound opportunity, with strong growth anticipated across healthcare and related industries over the coming decade.

To date, MAID has supported more than 20 companies, with a further 40 businesses expected to be supported by July 2027. A targeted £80,000 Microbiome Innovation Fund provides small, high-impact grants that catalyse company progress while demonstrating efficient use of resources and strong return on investment.

Professor Jo Fothergill, Project Director for MAID and Director of the Microbiome Innovation Centre at the University of Liverpool, said:

“Being shortlisted for the Bionow Project of the Year Award is a fantastic recognition of what MAID has set out to achieve. By bringing together world-class microbiome expertise, cutting-edge infrastructure and a clear route to market, MAID is helping to accelerate the development of new microbiome solutions while strengthening the Liverpool City Region’s position as a national leader in life sciences innovation.”

MAID is being supported by more than £1m from the Life Sciences Innovation Zone, which is expected to create 8,000 new jobs and attract up to £800m investment to the Liverpool City Region over the next 10 years.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram said: 

“This is exactly the kind of project our Innovation Zone was designed to support – bold, world-leading science that creates jobs, attracts investment, and tackles some of the greatest challenges facing global health.

“The Liverpool City Region has the talent, expertise and ambition to lead the way in microbiome innovation, and the MAID hub is a fantastic example of how we’re turning that potential into progress.

“By backing cutting-edge research and helping businesses scale, we’re putting our region firmly on the map as a global force in health and life sciences.”

The winners of the Bionow Awards will be announced in March 2026.

For more information about the MAID Innovation Hub, visit the webpage or contact [email protected].