We wish to extend our congratulations to one of our scientific collaborators, Dr Adam Varney, on his being awarded both  a Flexible Talent Mobility Account (FTMA) Award and the National Biofilms Innovation Centre grant (NBIC). Our collaboration with Dr Varney began as he completed his PhD, within which he examined the impact MetalloBio's compounds had on a range of bacteria. He is currently working as a Senior Research Fellow in the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF) at Nottingham Trent University, where his work into developing novel anti-biofilm catheter coatings in collaboration with MetalloBio  is the focus of these latest accolades.

The FTMA grant aims to support interdisciplinary knowledge exchange within the biosciences in order to support partnerships between academics and their public or private sector counterparts. Dr Varney securing this grant allows for continued research into the medical applications of MetalloBio’s compounds, which ultimately may help reduce the prevalence of hospital acquired infections; a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)priority research area.

The NBIC grant is awarded to those who are undertaking projects aimed at improving the understanding of or providing solutions to the subsequent challenges that Biofilms present. To receive this grant Dr Varney’s project proposal underwent assessment by a pool of independent reviewers, against a number of strict criteria which included; the quality of the collaboration, the level of innovation and the potential future applications.

With both of these grant projects now in progress, we wish to reiterate our congratulations to Dr Varney on securing the funding, and our enthusiasm for continuing such a productive and effective collaboration.

‍