CAHMV 2025 review – Professional excellence and inspiring exchange

On 27-28 November 2025, the 11th Conference of Applied Hygiene, Microbiology and Virology (CAHMV) took place. The conference, organised by DR. BRILL INSTITUTES, once again impressed participants on site at the maritime AMERON Hamburg Hotel Speicherstadt and online on their screens with a wide range of specialist presentations and other highlights.

Workshop premiere with extraordinary insights: For the first time since 2019, CAHMV kicked off with a practice-oriented workshop on the topic of “Efficacy testing of antimicrobial products.” Exclusive video insights into our test laboratories in Hamburg and Bremen, as well as the explanations by Dr. Andreas Kampe and Dr. Dajana Paulmann, ensured a lively and informative start.

High-caliber keynotes: Professor Dr. Martin Exner explained the crucial importance of water quality for infection prevention and control in healthcare. Professor Dr. Andreas Voss spoke about current developments influencing infection prevention: from AI to environmental protection. On the second day of the conference, Dr. Florian H. H. Brill gave a comprehensive overview of the status and future development of efficacy testing of antimicrobial products.

Diverse specialist sessions and active exchange: Sessions led by Professor Eike Steinmann and Professor Jörg Steinmann offered further exciting insights into topics such as (re-)emerging viruses, AI-supported sequencing, and genome profiling. The session led by Dr. Gunnar Kleist focused on regulatory developments, while the presentations in the session led by Professor Dirk Bockmühl addressed topics related to household hygiene.

The panel discussion identified the following three areas for improvement for the REFIT of the BPR: 1.) We must emphasize much more strongly than before the indispensable importance of the application of biocidal products, e.g., for infection prevention, food, medical device, and drug production, as well as the sustainable use of materials. 2.) We need a risk-benefit assessment for the evaluation of biocidal products, not just a risk assessment as has been the case to date. 3.) We need an innovation booster for sustainable active substances and biocidal products. To achieve this, the process must become faster and more agile.

The active participation of the attendees and the excellent networking in the breaks and during the pre-Christmas evening program rounded off the conference perfectly. We would like to thank all speakers and participants for their commitment, which once again made this event an outstanding success. CAHMV 2025 reaffirms its position as a high-caliber platform for professional exchange in the field of applied hygiene, microbiology, and virology. We look forward to the next CAHMV conference!