The aim of this research was to prepare and characterize an alginate-based wound dressing containing vancomycin immobilized at the silica surface. The silica samples functionalized with amine, diol and carboxylic acid groups were loaded with 7.8, 5.7 and 7.1wt.% of the antibiotic respectively. The immobilized drug was encapsulated in alginate or gelatin/alginate gels and the average concentration of vancomycin was about 10mg per g of the dried gel. The effect of functional organic groups at the silica surface on the release rate of the drug was investigated. Only the drug immobilized at Si-amine in alginate matrix was found to demonstrate slower release from the proposed wound dressing. The in vitro release profiles for other silica carriers did not show significant differences in relation to the free loaded drug. The presence of gelatin had a favourable impact on the slowing down of the drug release from the dressing with a double barrier. All the gels studied with vancomycin immobilized at the silica surface demonstrated antimicrobial activity against various bacteria. A reduction of the drug dose to a half had no effect on changing microbiological activity of gels.