New iiCON investment partner to accelerate infectious disease R&D

LYVA Labs, the Liverpool City Region-based innovation investment company, has joined the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON) as a core partner, strengthening efforts to accelerate global research and development of infectious disease treatments and diagnostics.

Launched in 2021, LYVA Labs drives growth by funding, incubating, and advising innovation-led companies across health, life sciences, and deep tech. Backed by a £10.5 million investment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the company supports businesses at all stages, helping ideas move quickly from concept to market.

iiCON, led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), unites industry, academia, and clinical partners worldwide to speed up the discovery and development of therapies, diagnostics, and preventative solutions that save lives. LYVA Labs joins existing core partners including Evotec, Infex Therapeutics, LifeArc, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Unilever, and the University of Liverpool.

Under this new partnership, LYVA Labs will help strengthen regional innovation ecosystems, support SMEs, and drive the commercialisation of new technologies developed by iiCON partners.

Professor Janet Hemingway, iiCON Founding Director, said:

“LYVA Labs has transformed the Liverpool City Region innovation landscape since its launch, and joining iiCON as a core partner formalises a relationship that has already delivered real impact. Together, we can expand programmes that accelerate innovation, strengthen our regional ecosystem, and deliver solutions that benefit communities around the world.”

Lorna Green, CEO of LYVA Labs, added:

“iiCON is a global success story in infection research and innovation. By joining as a core partner, we can bring more private investment into the region, support SMEs to scale, and ensure that breakthroughs in infection control reach the people who need them most.”

Since 2020, iiCON has secured over £251 million in investment, created 770 North West jobs, and boosted regional R&D infection spending to over £1 billion. Its network of nearly 1,000 global organisations has helped bring 36 new products to market, distributing more than 5 billion units of life-saving treatments worldwide. iiCON is also developing the Liverpool Robotic Infection Research Laboratory, the UK’s first Category Three Robotic Infection laboratory, using advanced robotics to accelerate infection R&D in the region.

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