In early November, Biofilm Alliance members James Redfern (Manchester Metropolitan University), Gillian Iredale and Peter Askew (IMSL) both attended the International Biodeterioration Research Group (IBRG) meeting in Cologne, Germany. Hosted by the specialist chemicals Lanxess GmbH, the group met to discuss new methods for biocide efficacy testing under four different topics: dry state preservation, wet state preservation, treated articles and functional fluids.  

Attended by colleagues from the UK, across Europe, the US, Japan and China, this international meeting was an opportunity to further efforts for new biofilm methodologies relevant to different industries. James, Gillian and Peter were able to update IBRG on the recent activities of the Biofilm Alliance, and input into IBRG’s efforts to understand the impact of biofilm on industry, and further methods to support anti-biofilm interventions. 

The next meeting of IBRG will be in April 2026 (online), with relevant industries encouraged to join and participate. You can find more information on their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibrg/