Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFTR) is a cabinet-level government agency based in Bonn and Berlin, Germany, that shapes national policy and distributes public funding for the country's education and research landscape. Operating through the German federal budget, the ministry finances basic and applied research projects, promotes STEM education, and manages vocational training initiatives across the entire nation. The organization acts as Germany's largest public funding body for global health research and administers the BAföG financial assistance program to support university students regardless of their family's financial situation. In a major government restructuring on May 6, 2025, the agency transferred its education policy responsibilities to the BMBFSFJ ministry and expanded its mandate to encompass technology and space exploration. The government entity was originally founded in 1955 as the Federal Ministry for Nuclear Affairs.