Background picture: Alfred-Wegener-Institut/Steuer

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports polar research by funding institutions such as the renowned Alfred Wegener Institute,  Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and through direct funding via calls for research proposals. The organisation Project Management Jülich implements and oversees polar research projects on behalf of the BMBF. Under the umbrella of the Federal Government research programme Mare:N – Coastal, Marine and Polar Research for Sustainability, which is part of the FONA strategy, experts have drawn up the concept paper Polar Regions in Transition, with an Executive Summary available in English. The paper recommends areas in which polar and marine research should be particularly active in the coming years. The BMBF will take up these recommendations in the near future, developing new research programmes in the context of ongoing political processes and national, European and international frameworks.