Background Fouling is the unwanted growth of biological material - such as barnacles and algae - on surfaces of structures immersed in water, such as the hulls of ships. If not properly treated, ship hulls become covered with numerous organisms, and this undesired colonisation has severe consequences. The main effects on ships are surface deterioration, speed loss, reduced manoeuvrability and an increase in fuel consumption, which results in a global environmental impact that has been estimated at about 384 million tonnes of CO2 eq. and 3.6 million tonnes of SO2 emissions per year. A secondary effect of fouling is the displacement of unwanted foreign species into non-native habitats. Standard maintenance and prevention techniques currently use anti-fouling paints, which are mainly based on a continuous release of biocides and most commonly contain copper compounds. These paints therefore release chemicals into the sea, with strong repercussions for the environment. The leaching copper from anti-fouling paints has been estimated at 5 000 tonnes per year. In addition, a large amount of toxic anti-fouling paint residues and waste are generated during the repairing and dismantling of ships, reaching the amount of over 208 000 tonnes of anti-fouling paint waste per year year (104 000 of which is toxic biocides), considering the total volume of shipping in the world. There is a need therefore, to support the growth of biocide-free alternatives to chemical anti-fouling paints on the market. Objectives The objective of the LIFE Paint-it project is to demonstrate a new manufacturing process at the pre-industrial scale capable of producing safe and innovative high-quality anti-fouling paints for naval applications. The project intends to completely eliminate the use of biocides in favour of a physical anti-fouling mode of action, instead of chemical action, with positive environmental benefits for the marine environment. The project aims to overcome the complex synthesis of amphiphilic painting materials, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of a new approach to their manufacture through the use of hybrid organic/ inorganic resins. The amphiphilic surface is a combination of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces and is capable of disorienting the growth of marine species on ship hulls with a consequent overall anti-fouling effect and therefore with a reduction of the environmental problem connected with the use of standard anti-fouling paints. The project will also avoid a large amount of toxic anti-fouling paint residues and wastes that are generated during the ship repairing and dismantling processes. In addition, LIFE Paint-it will support specific objectives for water set out in the Roadmap for a Resource-Efficient Europe and the 7th Environment Action Programme. In particular, it will reduce the release of contaminants in the marine environment as foreseen by the Marine Framework Strategy Directive. It will reduce concentrations of man-made synthetic substances as foreseen by the Water Framework Directive. Furthermore, as it completely eliminates biocides, the project actions will influence the REACH Directive. Expected results: The LIFE Paint-it project will demonstrate that the new paint can be effectively used on ship hulls, without any adverse environmental impact on the maritime ecosystem and significant positive impacts on energy, greenhouse gases (GHGs) and waste. The following results are then expected: The elimination of biocides, with the avoidance of toxic biocide waste and copper entering the marine environment as a result of hull maintenance activities; Reductions in CO2 emissions up to 19.2 million tonnes CO2 eq. (1 000 times the CO2 emissions per year produced by all the cars in Italy); Savings of up to 112 500 litres of fuel per year for a single vessel of 30-40 metres; An analysis of the European market to define all fields of application of the innovative solution and the socio-economic impacts of its wider replication; Development of a new generation of amphiphilic materials with effective environmentally-safe anti-fouling features; Implementation of a new pilot plant to manufacture large batches of anti-fouling formulation; Production of prototypes of anti-fouling paint without using chemicals; and Testing of the innovative anti-fouling materials in close-to-real environmental conditions.