# Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany)

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (German: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, pronounced ; abbreviated BMBF) is a cabinet-level ministry of Germany. It is headquartered in Bonn, with an office in Berlin. The Ministry provides funding for research projects and institutions (aiming for "research excellence") 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 directorates-general (as at November 2020). These are in addition to the central directorate-general that is responsible for administrative tasks:
* Directorate-General 1: Policy Issues and Strategies
* Directorate-General 2: European and International Cooperation in Education and Research
* Directorate-General 3: General Education and Vocational Training; Lifelong Learning
* Directorate-General 4: Higher Education and Research System
* Directorate-General 5: Research for Technological Sovereignty and Innovation
* Directorate-General 6: Life Sciences
* Directorate-General 7: Provision for the Future - Basic Research and Research for Sustainable Development
Each directorate-general consists of one or two subdivisions and 10 to 15 units. The greater part of the subdivisions is located in Bonn, the smaller part in Berlin. The BMBF has around 1000 employees. The head of the BMBF is formed by two parliamentary secretaries and two permanent state secretaries in addition to the minister.

## Federal Ministers

Political Party:  CDU  SPD  FDP
| Name (Born-Died) | Name (Born-Died) | Party | Term of Office | Term of Office | Chancellor (Cabinet) |
| Federal Minister for Atomic Affairs (1955–1957) Federal Minister for Nuclear Energy and Water Management (1957–1961) Federal Minister for Nuclear Energy (1961–1962) Federal Minister for Scientific Research (1962–1969) Federal Minister for Education and Science (1969–1994) |||||||
| 1 | Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) | CSU | 20 October 1955 | 16 October 1956 | Adenauer (II) |
| 2 | Siegfried Balke (1902–1984) | CDU | 16 October 1956 | 14 December 1962 | Adenauer (II • III • IV) |
| 3 | Hans Lenz (1907–1968) | FDP | 14 December 1962 | 26 October 1965 | Adenauer (IV) Erhard (I) |
| 4 | Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) | CDU | 26 October 1965 | 22 October 1969 | Erhard (II) Kiesinger (I) |
| 5 | Hans Leussink (1912–2008) | None | 22 October 1969 | 15 March 1972 | Brandt (I) |
| 6 | Klaus von Dohnanyi (born 1928) | SPD | 15 March 1972 | 17 May 1974 | Brandt (I • II) |
| 7 | Helmut Rohde (1925–2016) | SPD | 17 May 1974 | 16 February 1978 | Schmidt (I • II) |
| 8 | Jürgen Schmude (1936–2025) | SPD | 16 February 1978 | 28 January 1981 | Schmidt (II • III) |
| 9 | Björn Engholm (born 1939) | SPD | 28 January 1981 | 4 October 1982 | Schmidt (III) |
| 10 | Dorothee Wilms (born 1929) | CDU | 4 October 1982 | 12 March 1987 | Kohl (I • II) |
| 11 | Jürgen Möllemann (1945–2003) | FDP | 12 March 1987 | 18 January 1991 | Kohl (III) |
| 12 | Rainer Ortleb (born 1944) | FDP | 18 January 1991 | 4 February 1994 | Kohl (IV) |
| 13 | Karl-Hans Laermann (1929–2024) | FDP | 4 February 1994 | 17 November 1994 | Kohl (IV) |
| Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research and Technology |||||||
| 1 | Horst Ehmke (1927–2017) | SPD | 15 December 1972 | 17 May 1974 | Brandt (II) |
| 2 | Hans Matthöfer (1925–2009) | SPD | 17 May 1974 | 16 February 1978 | Schmidt (I • II) |
| 3 | Volker Hauff (born 1940) | SPD | 16 February 1978 | 5 November 1980 | Schmidt (II) |
| 4 | Andreas von Bülow (born 1937) | SPD | 5 November 1980 | 4 October 1982 | Schmidt (III) |
| 5 | Heinz Riesenhuber (born 1935) | CDU | 4 October 1982 | 21 January 1993 | Kohl (I • II • III • IV) |
| 6 | Matthias Wissmann (born 1949) | CDU | 21 January 1993 | 13 May 1993 | Kohl (IV) |
| 7 | Paul Krüger (born 1950) | CDU | 13 May 1993 | 17 November 1994 | Kohl (IV) |
| Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research and Technology (1994–1998) Federal Minister for Education and Research (1998–present) |||||||
| 14/8 | Jürgen Rüttgers (born 1951) | CDU | 17 November 1994 | 26 October 1998 | Kohl (V) |
| 15/9 | Edelgard Bulmahn (born 1951) | SPD | 26 October 1998 | 22 November 2005 | Schröder (I • II) |
| 16/10 | Annette Schavan (born 1955) | CDU | 22 November 2005 | 14 February 2013 | Merkel (I • II) |
| 17/11 | Johanna Wanka (born 1951) | CDU | 14 February 2013 | 14 March 2018 | Merkel (II • III) |
| 18/12 | Anja Karliczek (born 1971) | CDU | 14 March 2018 | 8 December 2021 | Merkel (IV) |
| 19/13 | Bettina Stark-Watzinger (born 1968) | FDP | 8 December 2021 | 7 November 2024 | Scholz (I) |
| 20/14 | Cem Özdemir (born 1965) | Alliance 90/The Greens | 8 December 2021 | Incumbent | Scholz (I) |

## Parliamentary State Secretaries

* 1969–1972: Klaus von Dohnanyi (SPD)
* 1972: Joachim Raffert (SPD)
* 1972–1978: Volker Hauff (SPD)
* 1974–1977: Peter Glotz (SPD)
* 1977–1981: Björn Engholm (SPD)
* 1978–1982: Erwin Stahl (SPD)
* 1981–1982: Eckart Kuhlwein [de] (SPD)
* 1982–1987: Anton Pfeifer (CDU)
* 1982–1991: Albert Probst (CSU)
* 1987–1989: Irmgard Karwatzki (CDU)
* 1991–1993: Torsten Wolfgramm (FDP)
* 1989–1994: Norbert Lammert (CDU)
* 1991–1998: Bernd Neumann (CDU)
* 1994–1997: Cornelia Yzer (CDU)
* 1997–1998: Elke Wülfing (CDU)
* 1998–2002: Wolf-Michael Catenhusen (SPD)
* 2002–2004: Christoph Matschie (SPD)
* 2004–2005: Ulrich Kasparick (SPD)
* 2005–2009: Andreas Storm (CDU)
* 2005–2021: Thomas Rachel (CDU)
* 2009–2013: Helge Braun (CDU)
* 2013–2018: Stefan Müller (CSU)
* 2018–2021: Michael Meister (CDU)
* 2021–2022: Thomas Sattelberger (FDP)
* 2021–2024: Jens Brandenburg (FDP)
* 2022–2024: Mario Brandenburg (FDP)
* since 2024: Claudia Müller (Grüne)