The European Cleaning and Hygiene Technology Research Association (FRT) was incorporated in 1991 by renowned enterprises and registered in the association roll of the Krefeld commercial court; it is an accepted non-profit organisation. As a member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen „Otto von Guericke“ e.V. (Association of Industrial Research Organisations, AiF), it has access to pre-competitive research programmes and funding for small and medium sized enterprises which is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs.

FRT is a network of the affiliated professional organisations and companies in the field of cleaning and hygiene. It plans and evaluates projects of common interest and tries to find ways how to finance them. It organises an implementation relevant to industrial interests and the fast and effective transfer of the achieved results into practise. Its scope hereby is to maximise the financing from public funds, which is offered for pre-competitive research and development especially for small and medium enterprises.

FRT shall initiate research projects of its members' common interest, give help in transferring the results into the individual companies and thereby find answers for the growing demands of the ecological and quality assurance discussion in the field of cleaning and care of hard surfaces. The research organisation is funded by the subscriptions of its members.

The members determine the research programme and the individual research projects according to their priorities and the economical importance by their elected research advisory board. They assign the work to be done according to their interests.

Advantages of a Membership

• Members determine the topics of FRT-research.
• Members can discuss and solve problems in the area of cleaning, maintenance and hygiene of hard surfaces in working groups.
• Members can initiate diploma theses.
• Members can obtain answers from experts.
• Members can obtain continuous information about the research projects in progress due to participation in the work and can use these information directly.
• Members get assistance in transferring research results.
• Members are informed on a regular basis by "FRT-Information" about progress in research work, new cognitions in other sectors, new international literature, further developments and changes in the legal situation.
• Members are offered assistance in solving technical problems (process technology, environmental aspects), in the application process for public funds, in discussions with the government or local authorities.
• Members improve their prospects for the future by collaborating in the FRT work in the field of standardisation, determination of regulations and contribution to legislation.