BMBF’s Budget for 2009 

The Federal Government will considerably increase its expenditure on education and research next year, too: The budget of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will grow to a total of 10.204 billion Euros in 2009. 

The Federal Government adopted the Six Billion Euro programs for Research and Development (R&D) as well as the High-Tech Strategy for Germany at the beginning of the legislative period. As in the 2008 budget, expenditure on research and development will continue to rise considerably next year: The BMBF budget for 2009 and the following years provides for an additional 300 million Euros p.a. for R&D compared with previous financial plans. These additional funds will be used mainly for the following areas: 

• research for an ageing society and health research,
• strengthening R&D capacities in small and medium-sized enterprises by means of the "SME innovative" funding initiative,
• climate and energy research,
• strengthening international research cooperation

Moreover, further funds of 185 million Euros will be made available for 2009 within the framework of the Innovation and Investment Programs for Education and Research. 

All in all, BMBF project funding will rise by 13.5 percent compared with 2008 to about 3.5 billion Euros. Under the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation, the Federal Government is continuing its efforts to modernize the structure and strengthen the international competitiveness of the German research environment. This also includes inter alia the establishment of a German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the launch of the National Academy of Sciences. Altogether, about 3.9 billion Euros are available for funding large-scale research institutions.

 
Funding will be raised by about 136 million Euros to over 1.4 billion Euros in order to finance the increase in BAföG adopted by the Federal Government and at the same time increase the number of students receiving grants. The increase in grants under the 22nd Amendment to the Federal Training Assistance Act will also be implemented for the Upgrading Training Assistance Act and for grants for the promotion of the gifted. Furthermore, additional funds of 30 million Euros will already allow increased financial assistance for "Meister" trainees under the Upgrading Training Assistance Act and for the award of scholarships to upgrade training as early as 2009. These scholarships will provide talented trainees in vocational education with an additional incentive to take up studies and to thus obtain further qualifications.