What BZH does

BZH GmbH (Deutsches Beratungszentrum für Hygiene), founded in 1999 at the Institute for Environmental Medicine and Hospital Hygiene of the University Hospital Freiburg by Prof. Dr. med. Franz Daschner, is a privately held German hygiene consulting and training firm. It serves 1,400+ healthcare and related institutions and supports over 30,000 acute care beds across the German-speaking region, operating from its Freiburg headquarters and a nationwide network of regional offices. The company is led by Managing Director and Medical Director Dr. med. Ernst Tabori and Commercial Managing Director Dipl. Kfm. Dirk Welsch, with an interdisciplinary team of hospital hygienists, microbiologists, scientists, and hygiene specialists.

The portfolio spans direct hygiene consulting, professional training courses, e-learning, and an annual congress (the Freiburger Infektiologie- und Hygienekongress with 1,500+ participants). Core technology includes the proprietary BZH-NOSO infection surveillance software (modeled on the KISS system), the BZH-CIRS-BPL critical incident reporting and best-practice learning portal, and an ILIAS-based E-Akademie with content available in 16 languages. Course pricing ranges from €50 (ABS refresher) to €590 (Hygiene Officer Nursing course), and CME accreditation is delivered through channel partnerships with Bezirksärztekammer Südbaden, Bezirksärztekammer Nordwürttemberg, and Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Baden-Württemberg.

Revenue is generated across four streams: professional services consulting (€€), academy courses (CME-accredited, €50–590 per seat), e-learning (recurring), and congress events. The go-to-market mixes enterprise field sales for consulting, event-driven demand via the annual congress, product-led growth through the e-learning platform, and channel distribution via regional medical chambers. Vertical extensions now include elderly care, ambulatory surgery, public health service (ÖGD), medical device manufacturing, construction hygiene, and a One Health / animal health practice. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds and no public revenue figures.

Name

BZH

Legal name

BZH GmbH

Website

https://bzh-freiburg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BZH is a Freiburg-based hygiene consulting and training firm serving 1,400+ healthcare institutions across the German-speaking region through infection prevention consulting, CME-accredited academy courses, an annual congress, and proprietary surveillance software (BZH-NOSO).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Hygiene Consulting and Infection Prevention Services

NAICS

Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners (621399)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospital Epidemiology & Infection Prevention (HLAKAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disinfection, Sanitization & Infection Prevention Services (BPABABAE), Healthcare Compliance & Enforcement Authorities (HLAJACAB)

Keywords

• Hospital hygiene consulting
• Infection prevention services
• Professional hygiene training
• Antibiotic stewardship programs
• Nosocomial infection surveillance

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg Im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hygiene Consulting Services: Core consulting revenue stream providing individualized hygiene consulting and infection prevention services to healthcare facilities. Services include hygiene specialist placement, on-site assessments, outbreak management, and ongoing advisory. BZH serves acute hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, elderly care, outpatient surgery centers, public health services, and industry across the German-speaking region.
2. Academy & Educational Courses: Revenue from CME-accredited courses, blended learning programs, and certification courses for hygiene officers, antibiotic stewardship, and related topics. Courses are delivered in partnership with regional medical chambers (Bezirksärztekammer) and carry CME points. Pricing ranges from 50 to 590 EUR per course.
3. Congress Events: Annual Freiburg Infectious Diseases and Hygiene Congress, one of the most significant continuing education events in the German-speaking region with over 1,500 participants. Revenue generated through participant registration and industry exhibitions.
4. E-Learning Modules: Online training modules delivered via ILIAS platform, available as standalone courses or in combination with in-person seminars. Includes both paid structured courses and free downloadable educational materials. E-learning content is available in German and translated into 15 additional languages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BZH provides hygiene consulting, training, and infection prevention services to healthcare facilities across Germany. Its core offerings include accredited professional training courses for hygiene specialists (Hygienefachkraft) and antibiotic stewardship, on-site hygiene consulting for hospitals and care facilities, and proprietary software such as BZH-NOSO for nosocomial infection surveillance. The company also operates an online e-learning academy and publishes free hygiene resources for the healthcare community.

Product overview

BZH (Deutsches Beratungszentrum für Hygiene) is a hygiene consulting and training organization offering a comprehensive portfolio centered on infection prevention and control. The core offerings include consulting services for various healthcare facilities (hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, elderly care, outpatient surgery), professional training through the BZH-Akademie with classroom and e-learning courses, and the annual Freiburger Infektiologie- und Hygienekongress. Supporting modules include BZH-NOSO for infection surveillance, an Antibiotic Stewardship Program, CIRS-BPL portal for incident reporting, construction hygiene consulting, and One Health services for animal health. The organization also provides free downloadable educational materials and specialized training videos for staff development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hygiene Consulting Services (Hygienische Beratung) External hygiene consulting for healthcare and related facilities, including on-site hygiene reviews, structural and organizational consulting, and tailored infection prevention advisory. Intended for hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, elderly care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, and medical device industry clients.
• Professional Hygiene Training Courses (Hygienefachkraft, Hygienebeauftragter Arzt, ABS) Accredited multi-day training programs for healthcare professionals, including the Hygienefachkraft (hygiene specialist) course (€2,590), the Hygienebeauftragter Arzt course (€3,590), and Antibiotic Stewardship (ABS) courses. Recognized by German state medical chambers (Landesärztekammern) for continuing medical education credits.
• BZH E-Akademie (Online E-Learning Platform) Online e-learning platform built on the ILIAS LMS, providing digital hygiene training courses for healthcare professionals. The platform supports remote and hybrid learning for Hygienefachkraft, Hygienebeauftragter Arzt, ABS refresher, and other specialized courses.
• BZH-NOSO Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Software Proprietary software for surveillance of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections in healthcare facilities. Supports documentation and analysis of infection data for hospital hygiene teams and quality management.
• One Health Animal Health Hygiene Consulting (Tiermedizinisch-hygienische Beratung) Cross-sector hygiene consulting applying a One Health approach to veterinary clinics, animal husbandry, and animal health institutions. Intended for veterinarians and animal health operators needing biosafety and infection prevention guidance.
• Construction Hygiene Consulting (Baumaßnahmen) Specialized hygiene consulting for construction and renovation projects in healthcare facilities, addressing infection risks during building works and architect/contractor coordination.
• Freiburger Infektiologie- und Hygienekongress (Annual Hygiene Congress) Annual scientific congress organized by BZH in Freiburg covering infectiology and hospital hygiene topics, attended by healthcare professionals, scientists, and industry partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports over 30,000 acute care beds across German healthcare facilities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and foundational.

• Bezirksärztekammer SüdbadencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Bezirksärztekammer Südbaden (Regional Medical Chamber of Southern Baden) for delivery and accreditation of CME courses including the 40-hour course for Hygiene Officers, ABS courses, and refresher courses. The chamber handles accreditation, CME point allocation, registration, and billing.
• Bezirksärztekammer NordwürttembergcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Bezirksärztekammer Nordwürttemberg (Regional Medical Chamber of Northern Württemberg) for delivery and accreditation of the ABS-beauftragter Arzt course. The chamber handles accreditation and CME point allocation.
• Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Baden-Württemberg (KVBW)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKVBW offers BZH-organized courses for hygiene officers in medical practices. Some courses are exclusively available to member practices of KVBW. Registration and billing are handled through KVBW's seminar calendar.
• Universitätsklinikum FreiburgfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerBZH was founded in 1999 at the Institute for Environmental Medicine and Hospital Hygiene of University Medical Center Freiburg by Prof. Dr. med. Franz Daschner. This academic origin underpins the company's scientifically grounded approach to infection prevention.
• ILIAS Open Source Learning Management SystemcoreTechnology or IntegrationBZH's e-learning platform is based on ILIAS, an open-source course management system with integrated communication tools and test/assessment functionality. BZH uses this platform to deliver customized e-learning content to healthcare facilities.
• Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (BGW)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBZH referenced the BGW's BeGX 2025 (Occupational Health Index) study on the occupational health situation of care sector workers, providing commentary and analysis on BZH's news channel.
• Freiburg KonzerthausminorOthersThe annual Freiburg Infectious Diseases and Hygiene Congress is hosted at the Freiburg Konzerthaus (concert hall), which provides the venue for the congress event.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diversey (Solenis): Global hygiene and infection prevention solutions provider for healthcare, foodservice and hospitality. Offers hospital hygiene products, training and advisory services that overlap with BZH's disinfection/infection prevention consulting, though Diversey is product-led rather than advisory-led.
• Getinge: Global medical technology company with a significant infection control business covering sterile processing, operating room hygiene and disinfection. Provides consulting-adjacent services to hospitals that overlap with BZH's infection prevention mandate, particularly in surgical and CSSD contexts.
• Sodexo Healthcare: Facility services provider to hospitals including environmental hygiene, cleaning and infection prevention support. Competes for the same hospital hygiene budget as BZH in outsourced facility hygiene, though typically at facility-management scope rather than clinical hygiene consulting.
• STERIS: Global provider of infection prevention and sterilization products and services for hospitals and life sciences. Competes with BZH in infection prevention consulting and surveillance, while also offering sterilization, disinfectant products and capital equipment not in BZH's portfolio.
• Ecolab Healthcare: Global leader in infection prevention and healthcare hygiene, offering products, surveillance software and consulting services to hospitals worldwide. Overlaps with BZH in hospital hygiene consulting and infection surveillance, but operates at much larger scale with bundled chemical and digital offerings rather than pure advisory.

Direct peers

• HyKoMed GmbH: Germany-based hygiene consulting firm offering hospital hygiene advisory, training and outbreak management to healthcare facilities. Most directly comparable peer to BZH in the DACH hygiene consulting niche, with overlapping customer profile (acute hospitals, rehab, elderly care) and similar regulatory positioning around IfSG/KRINKO.

Others

• B. Braun Aesculap Akademie: Medical professional education provider run by B. Braun, offering accredited CME courses and training to healthcare professionals across Germany. Comparable to BZH in the CME-accredited training and congress business, though its course portfolio spans broader medical/surgical topics rather than hygiene-only.
• BDH Bundesverband Deutscher Hygienefachkräfte: German professional association representing certified hygiene specialists (Hygienefachkräfte). Functions as an adjacent ecosystem participant — neither competitor nor customer, but a key stakeholder network through which BZH's training, ABS programs and consulting engagements are delivered.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/bzh-gmbh-deutsches-beratungszentrum-fuer-hygiene

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BZH