Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany)

Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Agency overview
Formed	20 October 1955 as Bundesministerium für Atomfragen
Jurisdiction	Government of Germany
Headquarters	Heinemannstraße 2; 53175 Bonn
Employees	900
Annual budget	€ 9.187 billion (2008)
Minister responsible	Johanna Wanka, Federal Minister of Education and Research;
Agency executives	Thomas Rachel, Parliamentary State Secretary; Andreas Storm, Parliamentary State Secretary; Michael Thielen, Permanent State Secretary; Frieder Meyer-Krahmer, Permanent State Secretary;
Website	http://www.bmbf.de

"BMBF" redirects here. It can also refer to the British Mountain Bike Federation.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (German: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung), abbreviated BMBF, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is headquartered in Bonn, with an office in Berlin. The Ministry provides funding for research projects and institutions, regulates nuclear energy, and sets general educational policy. It also provides student loans in Germany. However, a large part of educational policy in Germany is decided at the state level, strongly limiting the influence of the ministry in educational matters.

History

The Federal Ministry for Atomic Issues was established in 1955, concentrating on research in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The ministry was renamed in 1962 to Federal Ministry of Scientific Research, with a broader scope; it was renamed again, to Federal Ministry of Education and Science, in 1969.

A separate ministry, the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, was established in 1972. The two Ministries merged in 1994 to form the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology; this title was shortened to Federal Ministry for Education and Research in 1998.

Organization

The BMBF currently has eight departments (as of February 2009). These are in addition to the central department that is responsible for administrative tasks:^[1]

Office 1: Strategies and Policy Issues
Office 2: European and international cooperation in education and research
Office 3: Vocational Training and Lifelong Learning
Office 4: Science
Office 5: Key Technologies - Research for Innovation
Office 6: Life Sciences - Research for Health
Office 7: Provision for the Future - Research on Culture, Basic Science and Sustainability

Each department consists of one or two sub-divisions and 10 to 15 units. The greater part of the subdivision is located at the Bonn office, the smaller part of the Berlin office. Employs about 900 people, the BMBF. The Minister for Education and Research Annette Schavan. In addition, include two parliamentary secretaries and two civil servants lead the staff.

Federal Ministers

Political Party: CDU SPD

Name (Born-Died)		Party	Term of Office		Chancellor (Cabinet)
Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research and Technology
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" \|	Jürgen Rüttgers (b. 1951)	CDU	17 November 1994	26 October 1998	Kohl (V)
Federal Minister for Education and Research
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;" \|	Edelgard Bulmahn (b. 1951)	SPD	26 October 1998	22 November 2005	Schröder (I • II)
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" \|	Annette Schavan (b. 1955)	CDU	22 November 2005	14 February 2013	Merkel (I • II)
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;" \|	Johanna Wanka (b. 1951)	CDU	14 February 2013	Incumbent	Merkel (II • III)