News Archive

On 1-2 October 2026, Norderney will once again become the gathering place for the antifouling community: That is when the third Antifouling Conference will take place there, an important industry gathering organized by the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland, MCN) in collaboration with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, BSH), the German Sailing Association (Deutscher Motoryachtverband, DSV), and the German Motor Yacht Association (Deutscher Motoryachtverband, DMYV). The event will focus on innovative, environmentally friendly strategies to prevent fouling on ship hulls or other underwater structures.

A special highlight is the field trip to the Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion at Dr. Brill + Partner, which is hosting an exclusive visit to Norderney. On site, participants will gain insights into test facilities, laboratories, and ongoing research conducted under real-world conditions in a maritime environment.

The conference is complemented by a diverse program of presentations featuring contributions from renowned experts from academia, industry, and associations. It also offers numerous opportunities for in-depth discussion and networking. This year’s venue is located directly at the head of the pier, offering the best views of the Wadden Sea and the harbor entrance. At the end of the first day, an evening cruise on the Frisia XI and a barbecue at Dr. Brill + Partner provide the perfect setting for successful networking.

The event is free of charge, but only a limited number of spots are available. So be sure to mark your calendars now. We will provide details on the program, travel, and accommodations, etc., as soon as registration opens.

You can find our recap of the 2025 Antifouling Conference in Norderney, including the Biofouling Excursion, here: LINK

ICMCF 2026 - the 21st International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling (ICMCF) - will take place this summer from 26-31 July 2026, in Berlin. Since its inaugural edition in France in 1964, the ICMCF has established itself as the leading international forum for scientific exchange on fouling and corrosion in the maritime sector. Over the decades, the congress has traveled the globe, bringing together researchers and experts from academia and industry. This unique mix fosters fruitful dialogue, strengthens collaboration, and supports the development of long-term professional relationships. True to this tradition, the upcoming ICMCF offers a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary program that presents the latest findings on biofouling and corrosion as well as innovative approaches to their prevention. The conference is organized by Fraunhofer IFAM, one of Europe’s leading research institutions in the field of applied materials science and surface technology.

Dr. Brill + Partner Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion will, of course, be represented at the ICMCF 2026 and is also expected to contribute to the program content (see below). We will inform you of further details in due course. Please feel free to use your visit to ICMCF 2026 to meet with our institute - we would be delighted to see you! Venue: Henry Ford Building, Freie Universität Berlin. All further information on ICMCF 2026, including registration, can be found here: www.icmcf2026.com

Submissions involving our institute (presentations and posters):

• Initial results of field and laboratory testing of non-biocidal and microplastic-reduced self-polishing and cleanable hard coatings (BioSHIP)
• Titel: North Sea – a perfect body of water for antifouling field tests
• The Blue Angel Ecolabel DE UZ 221: Sustainable antifouling solutions for maritime and inland shipping
• Titel: In situ cleaning and disinfection process for aquaculture systems using laser radiation underwater
• Titel: Field tests and AI-training for adaptive cleaning with an autonomous robot ‘LARABICUS’ (LABROID)

The e-learning course "Biofouling Management for Recreational Boats" already became available last year. Now, two new short videos have been created to further whet your appetite for this great e-learning course. You can find the videos at the following links:

• BSH Clip 1: "Biofouling - Invisible, but with major consequences"
• BSH Clip 2: "Good fouling protection starts with you!"

The e-learning course "Biofouling Management for Recreational Craft" is now available online. The course was created on behalf of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH, Bundesamtes für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrografie) by our Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion on Norderney, in collaboration with Alex Jamil as film producer and Claudia James from HYGIENE COMPASS for making the course available on their online platform. For boat owners, clubs, associations and authorities, it serves as an awareness-raising, preventive measure with regard to the spread of non-native species, as well as to minimize the entry of harmful substances from antifouling coatings and emissions. In five chapters, the causes, development and effects of biofouling, protection against biofouling, alternative anti-fouling systems, cleaning technologies, biofouling management plans, regulations and further information options such as Fouling Atlas and Blue Angel are shown. Each chapter consists of a film followed by a questionnaire. The films last between 5 and 9 minutes, the questionnaires consist of 4 to 12 questions in multiple choice mode. The entire course takes about 45 minutes, but can also be completed in several stages. Participation is free of charge for everyone!

A short-term goal is to train "biofouling experts" in as many marinas as possible, who will inform users or club members about existing regulations and provide support, for example, in the choice of antifouling system (AFS) or the cleaning and maintenance of the AFS.

The long-term goal is to reduce the discharge of pollutants into the waters (inland, North Sea and Baltic Sea), CO₂ emissions and to minimize the introduction and spread of non-native species without negatively affecting the protection of fouling.

Detailed BSH press release in German languange - here: Link
Click here to go directly to the course in English language: e-learning course "Biofouling Management for Recreational Boats"

The German version can be found here: E-Learning-Kurs "Biofouling-Management für Sportboote"

We thank the partners involved:
BMDV-Expertennetzwerk
DSV Deutscher Segler-Verband
DMYV Deutscher Motoryachtverband
HYGIENE COMPASS
SportJobs Bildung und Bewegung

In the Journal "Infection Prevention in Practice" (Volume 8, Issue 2, June 2026) we published an article in collaboration with the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. The article titled "A novel method of simulated-use surface disinfection efficacy testing as Phase 3 Step 1 approach" presents a Phase 3 Step 1 simulated-use test which allows for efficacy testing of commercial disinfectants, incorporating micro-organisms isolated from the clinical settings, surfaces representative of them, and where the product is applied by trained participants. This internally validated method better represents clinical disinfection practices compared with current standardized tests and may support improved assessment of surface disinfectant efficacy under conditions approximating real-world hospital use. To see the full article, click HERE.

Dr. Brill + Partner Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion is expanding its range of tests to include two Taber abrasion tests in accordance with ASTM D4060, which are specifically tailored to the evaluation of marine coatings. In addition to the established dry test, we now offer an advanced Taber abrasion test as a wet test for the first time, which takes into account realistic conditions of use in the maritime sector. 

Taber abrasion test as a wet test: For the first time, we offer the Taber abrasion test as a wet test with a water-covered test plate. The method, further developed by Dr. Brill + Partner, simulates realistic conditions for underwater cleaning. Comparative studies show that many ship coatings exhibit significantly higher abrasion under wet conditions than in the conventional dry test. The method was presented at the PortPIC conference in 2025 and enables a practical comparison with market products. 

Taber abrasion test as a dry test: The proven Taber abrasion test according to ASTM D4060 as a dry test continues to be ideal for internal comparisons and screening tests of different coating systems. The test is carried out with two replicas in each case.

All services of Dr. Brill + Partner Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion can be found on our website www.brillinstitutes.com/en/antifouling. If you have any questions or are interested in the new Taber abrasion tests or one of the institute's other testing services, please feel free to contact us e.g. by email here: Contact

In this multy-laboratory study evaluating the efficacy of an alcohol-based 15-second hand rub using a modified EN 1500 protocol, Henrik Gabriel, Director of Laboratory - Microbiology at Dr. Brill + Partner GmbH Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, is one of the contributing authors. This publication appeared in "The Journal of Hospital Infection". The abstract and all further details can be found here: LINK.

A cleaning robot is being developed at the University of Kassel that will be able to clean the hull of a ship while it is sailing. In the LABROID project, this robot platform is being expanded to include two technical components that will make it possible to shorten the cleaning interval to such an extent that commercial ships can completely dispense with biocide-containing paints while still being protected against biofouling.

The first technical component comprises a patented wing system combined with a self-aware control approach. The wing system enables the robot to cover its entire energy requirements from the flow of water around the moving ship. This allows continuous cleaning 24/7. The self-aware approach integrates the wing system into the robot control system and enables autonomous evaluation of the environmental conditions based on the operating parameters. This significantly reduces the risk of failure, enabling reliable protection against fouling.

In the second technical component, computer vision is used to assess the current fouling level so that the robot can independently recognize and learn which areas need to be cleaned and which should no longer be cleaned. Independent assessment of the fouling level is crucial and a unique selling point, as only a biofilm slime layer may be cleaned during operation. The robot must therefore be able to distinguish between the stages "clean", "slime layer", and "macroscopic fouling". Dr. Brill + Partner Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion will train the AI as "expert annotators" in this project. To this end, numerous underwater photos will be evaluated and specific fouling plates will be deployed and evaluated in order to obtain and evaluate new underwater photos.

LABROID is inspired by the cleaner fish "Labroides dimidiatus", which uses the flow of water around its host fish to move and rid it of parasites.

Project partner:

• Universität Kassel, Maschinenbau - Intelligent Embedded Systems
• Briese Schiffahrt
• Larabicus

Support measure:

The presentation that Dr. Florian H. H. Brill will give at the 14th International Akademie Fresenius Detergents and Cleaning Products Conference is entitled "Current regulatory developments on hygiene products & microbial cleaners". This presentation will take place during the session "Regulatory implications for hygiene & innovation". The presentation will cover the following topics:

• BPR: Stricter approvals, some actives banned, push for alternatives
• Probiotics: More microbial cleaners, unclear status (biocide/other), safety & claim checks
• Claims & greenwashing: Proof for hygiene claims, stricter green marketing rules

Also, Dr. Britta Brands, Dr. Brill + Prof. Bockmühl GmbH Institute for Applied Hygiene, will give a presentation entitled "Probiotic cleaning: Testing and performance evaluation" in the session "Probiotic cleaning - from concept to market".

The chairperson of the 14th International Fresenius Academy Detergents and Cleaning Products Conference is Professor Dirk Bockmühl. All information about the conference, which will take place on 17-18 September 2026, in Mainz, can be found HERE.

Our colleagues on site would be delighted to welcome you in person in Mainz - and are of course happy to assist you. To arrange an appointment in advance, simply send an email to info@brillhygiene.com.

"Clinical study on the influence of regular use of alcohol-based hand rubs on the skin microbiome" is the title of the poster that Dr. Florian H. H. Brill will present at ESCMID Global 2026 - the Congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. ESCMID Global is the largest international gathering of clinical microbiologists and infectious disease specialists and will take place this year from April 17-21, 2026, in Munich. The full program and further information about the congress can be found HERE.

As always, Dr. Brill will be available for personal discussions at the event in Munich. If you would like to arrange an appointment in advance, simply send an email to info@brillhygiene.com. We look forward to getting to know you or seeing you again there!

• Session type: Poster session
• Poster number : P3852
• Poster title: Clinical study on the influence of regular use of alcohol-based hand rubs on the skin microbiome
• Session title: 08h. Disinfection & sterilisation (incl medical device reprocessing)
• Session date: To be defined
• Session time and location : 12:00 - 13:30 in the Poster Hall B3

The 18th DGKH Congress for General and Hospital Hygiene (18. Kongress für Allgemeine und Krankenhaushygiene) will take place in Berlin from April 26 to 29, 2026. Our institute will be represented at the congress this year with the following contributions and individuals:

Wednesday, April 27, 2026 | 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. | Hall 21
Antiseptik: Alles weg? Effektivität von Antiseptik und Desinfektion (Antisepsis: All gone? Effectiveness of antisepsis and disinfection)
Prolonged infectivity of murine norovirus in aerosols suggests potential for airborne transmission
Dr. Florian H. H. Brill

Wednesday, April 27, 2026 | 4:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. | Hall 12-15
Zahnmedizin: Auf den Zahn gefühlt! - Neues aus der Hygiene in der Zahnmedizin (Dentistry: Getting to the bottom of it! - News from hygiene in dentistry)
Überprüfung des Reinigungserfolgs für dentale Übertragungsinstrumente in Anlehnung an die MAZI Studie (Review of cleaning success for dental transmission instruments based on the MAZI study)
Dr. Andreas Kampe

Poster without presentation | Poster exhibition
Replacement of poliovirus as test virus for efficacy evaluation of disinfection in the context of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Dr. Florian H. H. Brill

The complete program and further information about the congress can be found HERE. Our colleagues in Berlin will of course be happy to meet with you for a personal discussion. Dr. Florian H. H. Brill, Dr. Andreas Kampe, and Dr. Kerstin Walendy-Gnirß will be there and look forward to seeing you. To arrange an appointment in advance, simply send an email to info@brillhygiene.com.

Again with strong participation from the DR. BRILL INSTITUTES Group, the SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting will take place in Maastricht from May 17-21, 2026, under the theme "Embrace the Outlier: In Science, Regulations, and Networks." Dr. Brill Regulatory Services GmbH and Hydrotox GmbH will both be involved, both in terms of personnel and content – and, following last year's great success, we will once again have our own exhibition stand!

Our commitment in detail:

Exhibition booth - Booth No. 37: Hydrotox and Dr. Brill Regulatory Services will once again be represented with a joint booth at the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting.

Presentation title: Assessment of Endocrine Effects of Construction Products in the Environment
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 6.04 - Endocrine Disruption: Scientific and Regulatory Challenges
Presentation day: Monday, 18 May 2026
Authors: Elena Perabo, Martina Springmann - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br. 
Co-Author: Dr. Peter Behnisch - BioDetection Systems b.v., Amsterdam

Presentation title: Biodegradability of Polymers in Aquatic Test Systems: ISO 14852 - Feasibility Study for Different Concentrations of Test Item and Inoculum
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 3.18 - Microplastics Research: Beyond Fear-Mongering, Towards Trustworthy Science
Presentation day: Monday, 18 May 2026
Authors: Andrea Brunswik-Titze, Jessica Bühler, Marie Canon - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br., Germany

Presentation title: Sustainable green roofs for the implementation of the sponge city: Determination of ecotoxicologically safe construction products for green roofs
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 3.09 - Environmental Forensics: Tracking Sources and Evaluating the Effects of Chemicals in Urban and Other Environments
Presentation day: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Authors: Elena Perabo, Dr. Christoph Hafner - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br., Germany

Presentation title: Round Robin Test to prepare for consolidation of tests for ready biodegradability according to OECD 301/310
Presentation type: Poster & Poster Corner Discussion
Session title: 3.04 - Advancing Understanding of Environmental Persistence of Chemicals
Presentation day: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Authors:
Ulrich Jöhncke - UBA, Section IV 2.3. Chemicals 
Andrea Brunswik-Titze - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br. 
Stefan Gartiser - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br.
Daniel Sättler - UBA, Section IV 2.3. Chemicals
Monika Ratte - ToxRat Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Alsdorf
Benjamin Daniels - ToxRat Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Alsdorf

Presentation title: Comparison of exposure modelling tools used in different regulatory areas
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 3.02 - Advances in Exposure Modelling: Closing the Gap between Scientific Innovation and Regulatory Relevance
Presentation day: Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Presenter: Heike Schimmelpfennig

Our colleagues on site are already looking forward to welcoming what we hope will be a large number of our customers, as well as potential new customers, to our attractive booth - Booth No. 37. If you would like to arrange an appointment in advance, please feel free to contact us, e.g., by email here: info@brillhygiene.com

Use your participation in the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting for a personal meeting with us! The following colleagues will be present in Maastricht: From Dr. Brill Regulatory Services Dr. Gunnar Kleist (Director Regulatory Services) and Heike Schimmelpfennig (Senior Manager Regulatory Affairs), as well as from Hydrotox Andrea Brunswik-Titze (Team Leader and Test Leader Biodegradability), Jessica Bühler (Study Director Biodegradation), Elene Perabo (Test Leader Ecotoxicology, Third Party Research Projects) and Dr. Christoph Hafner (Head of GLP Test Facility, Customer Support).

One-day free tickets: Hydrotox has a small number of SETAC one-day free tickets available, which we would be happy to pass on to you. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Christoph Hafner directly by email at hafner@hydrotox.de.

The SETAC Europe Annual Meeting is an annual conference of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe that brings together scientists, policy makers and industry representatives to discuss current issues in the fields of environmental toxicology, ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry.

Main features of the conference:

• Topics: Environmental risk research, life cycle assessment, regulatory developments and scientific policy advice
• Formats: Scientific sessions, plenary lectures, training sessions and networking events
• Participants: 2,000-2,500 experts from over 60 countries

The conference serves as a platform for the exchange of new findings and promotes cooperation between research, industry and authorities.

Link: SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting

Probiotic cleaners are becoming increasingly important in modern hygiene concepts. With our new service, we now offer an innovative, practical testing approach that is specifically tailored to the special characteristics of microbial cleaning formulations.

The method is based on the targeted further development of established testing procedures and enables a realistic assessment of cleaning performance and long-term effects. This allows probiotic and conventional cleaning agents to be compared under identical conditions and evaluated on a sound basis.

Manufacturers and developers thus obtain a reliable basis for comprehensively testing and further developing the performance of probiotic products.

If you are interested or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us - we will be happy to advise you individually.