Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space

The Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (German: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)) is a government ministry and supreme federal authority of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its headquarters, or primary office, is located in the so-called (Cross Buildings) in the federal city of Bonn, and its secondary office is in Berlin. Dorothee Bär from the Christian Social Union (CSU) has been the Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space in the Merz cabinet since 6 May 2025.

History The origins of the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space dated back to 20 October 1955, when the Federal Ministry for Atomic Affairs (BMAt) was founded under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Franz Josef Strauss, who later served as Minister-President of Bavaria, was appointed its first Federal Minister.

The Federal Ministry for Atomic Affairs was tasked with promoting the peaceful use of and was located in the former Hotel in Bad Godesberg, which had been converted into an office building. In 1957, it was renamed the Federal Ministry for Nuclear Energy and Water Management (BMAtW) and in 1961 the Federal Ministry for Nuclear Energy (BMAt). With its renaming in 1962 to the Federal Ministry for Scientific Research (BMwF), it also became responsible for general scientific promotion and the promotion of space research. A constitutional amendment in 1969 expanded the federal government's powers in educational planning and research funding, and the ministry was therefore renamed the Federal Ministry of Education and Science (BMBW), a name it retained until 1994.

In 1972, the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (BMFT) was founded to promote basic research, applied research, and technological development. The head of the central department from 1971 to 1982 was Friedrich Bischoff, who had previously served as the chief administrative officer of the . For more than two decades, the two ministries remained separate. After the 1994 German federal election, the two ministries were merged, and the new ministry was named the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF). With this expanded scope of responsibilities, it was sometimes referred to as the "Ministry of the Future". Following the change of government in 1998, the BMBF transferred the Technology Policy division to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Technology and therefore bore the name Federal Ministry of Education and Research until 2025. In the Merz cabinet, the education portfolio was transferred to the former Ministry for Family Affairs, the technology portfolio was reintegrated, and responsibility for space travel was explicitly named, so that the ministry is now called the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space.

Between 1999 and 2014, the ministry's Berlin office was located in the former building of the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the GDR, before it opened its building on Kapelle-Ufer in November 2014. BMBF, vom 26. November 2014. This provides sufficient space to concentrate the entire ministry at this location.

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The BMFTR consists of nine departments. These are, in addition to the management department and the central department (), which is responsible for administrative tasks:

Department S: Strategies and Fundamental Issues Department I: International and Europe Department R: Space and Security Department W: Science and Research System; Talents Department T: Technological Sovereignty and Innovation Department G: Health and Life Sciences Department F: Future Planning – Research for Fundamental and Sustainable Development

Each department consists of two or three sub-departments and between 10 and 15 sections (). Most of the sections are located at the Bonn office, and fewer at the Berlin office. The BMFTR employs approximately 1,500 people in total. In addition, two Parliamentary State Secretaries are part of the management staff.

Duties On the one hand, the BMFTR is primarily responsible for legislation in various areas. On the other hand, the BMFTR promotes research in all areas of science through financial resources. It also promotes international exchange in research, technology and space exploration, and higher education. The core budget of the BMFTR (budget line 30) amounts to approximately € 21.8 billion in 2026. An additional €1.6 billion is provided from two special funds. The core budget is the sixth largest budget line in the 2026 federal budget. It is thus about twice the size of that of the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Science Year The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space has been organizing the since 2000. Each Science Year focuses on a specific scientific discipline or current scientific topic. The Science Years serve to stimulate public debate about developments in science and research. The Science Year 2026, themed "Medicine of the Future," was co-designed by departments within the Ministry. The Science Year aims to demonstrate how research can improve medicine. In particular, it seeks to highlight the impact of medical innovations on patients' daily lives and how AI can contribute to the .

Funding for research projects The Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMFTR) initially provides the basic funding for the German Research Foundation and the Helmholtz Association, as well as a portion of the basic funding for the Max Planck Society and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. In addition, it funds research projects through grant programs for which applicants must apply. Examples of such grant programs include:

The research framework programme “Research for Sustainable Development (FONA)” The “ICT2020” with the future project Industrie 4.0 within the “” of the Federal Government The The focus on IT security research The “research for tomorrow’s production” The focus “Religion, cultural diversity and civil society” The “Copernicus projects for the energy transition”

The Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (BMFTR) entrusts the technical and administrative support of research projects to so-called , such as the , the , or the . Public relations activities are funded alongside such funding programs. One example is the , which aims to inform the general public about nanotechnology . Together with the Federal Ministry of Health, the BMFTR is responsible, among other things, for the German Federal Government's health research program.

Furthermore, the BMFTR, together with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, commissions the .

German Centers for Health Research Since 2007, the BMFTR has established a number of , which aim to achieve progress in addressing major widespread diseases through collaborations between numerous research institutions. These are:

German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases

In 2021, the construction of two further centers began:

German Center for Child and Adolescent Health

Federal Ministers since 1955 No.nameLife datespartyStart of term of officeEnd of term of officeCabinet(s)Federal Minister for Nuclear Issues1Franz Josef Strauß1915–1988CSU20. October 195516 October 1956Adenauer II2Siegfried Balke1902–1984CSU16 October 195629 October 1957Federal Minister for Nuclear Energy and Water Management2Siegfried Balke1902–1984CSU29 October 195714 November 1961Adenauer IIIFederal Minister for Nuclear Energy2Siegfried Balke1902–1984CSU14 November 196114 December 1962Adenauer IVFederal Minister for Scientific Research3Hans Lenz1907–1968FDP14 December 196226 October 1965Adenauer VErhard I4Gerhard Stoltenberg1928–2001CDU26 October 196522 October 1969Erhard IIKiesingerFederal Minister for Education and Science5Hans Leussink1912–2008non-partisan22 October 196915 March 1972Brandt I6Klaus von Dohnanyi* 1928SPD15 March 197217 May 1974Brandt IBrandt II7Helmut Rohde1925–2016SPD17 May 197416 February 1978Schmidt ISchmidt II8Jürgen Schmude1936–2025SPD16 February 197828 January 1981Schmidt IISchmidt III9Björn Engholm* 1939SPD28 January 19814 October 1982Schmidt III10Dorothee Wilms* 1929CDU4 October 198212 March 1987Kohl IKohl II11Jürgen Möllemann1945–2003FDP12 March 198718 January 1991Kohl III12Rainer Ortleb* 1944FDP18 January 19914 February 1994Kohl IV13Karl-Hans Laermann1929–2024FDP4 February 199417 November 1994Federal Minister for Research and Technology1Horst Ehmke1927–2017SPD15 December 197217 May 1974Brandt II2Hans Matthöfer1925–2009SPD17 May 197416 February 1978Schmidt ISchmidt II3Volker Hauff* 1940SPD16 February 19785 November 1980Schmidt II4Andreas von Bülow* 1937SPD5 November 19804 October 1982Schmidt III5Heinz Riesenhuber* 1935CDU4 October 198221 January 1993Kohl IKohl IIKohl IIIKohl IV6Matthias Wissmann* 1949CDU21 January 199313 May 1993Kohl IV7Paul Krüger* 1950CDU13 May 199317 November 1994Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research and Technology14/8Jürgen Rüttgers* 1951CDU17 November 199427 October 1998Kohl VFederal Minister of Education and Research15/9Edelgard Bulmahn* 1951SPD27 October 199822 November 2005Schröder ISchröder II16/10Annette Schavan* 1955CDU22 November 200514 February 2013Merkel IMerkel II17/11Johanna Wanka* 1951CDU14 February 201314 March 2018Merkel IIMerkel III18/12Anja Karliczek* 1971CDU14 March 20188 December 2021Merkel IV19/13Bettina Stark-Watzinger* 1968FDP8 December 20217 November 2024Scholz20/14Cem Özdemir* 1965Grüne7 November 20246 May 2025Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space15Dorothee Bär* 1978CSU6 May 2025IncumbentMerz

Parliamentary State Secretaries

Civil servants, state secretaries

Literature

, Niels Weise: Für die Zukunft des deutschen Volkes – Das bundesdeutsche Atom- und Forschungsministerium zwischen Vergangenheit und Neubeginn 1955–1972. Wallstein, Göttingen 2022, . Peter Weingart, Niels C. Taubert (Hrsg.): Das Wissensministerium. Ein halbes Jahrhundert Forschungs- und Bildungspolitik in Deutschland. Velbrück, Weilerswist 2006, . Matthias Kölbel: Das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) als wissenschaftspolitischer Akteur. In: Handbuch Wissenschaftspolitik. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2016, .

Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space

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