Working Group of the German Federal Departmental Research Establishments

The Working Group of the German Federal Departmental Research Establishments (German: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Ressortforschungseinrichtungen), often shortened to AG Ressortforschung, is a Berlin-based association founded on 9 February 2005 that brings together more than 40 federal institutions with research and development tasks in Germany. Each member institution is embedded in the portfolio of a federal ministry and is typically designated as a Bundesforschungsanstalt, Bundesanstalt, Bundesinstitut or Bundesamt. The group is not a research institute itself; it is a coordinating and advocacy body whose members conduct the actual scientific work. The association's stated purpose is to represent the interests of departmental research establishments vis-à-vis politics, the public and other research organisations, and to strengthen quality assurance of scientific work, notably through external evaluations in cooperation with the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat). Its members advise ministries and political bodies on decisions and provide services in testing, approval, rule-setting, standardisation and monitoring. The group also pursues experience exchange, quality assurance and cooperation on general questions of departmental research, such as recruiting young scientific talent and cooperating with universities and non-university institutions. Membership spans a broad range of policy fields. Examples include the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), the Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG), the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), the German Weather Service (DWD), the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) and the Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut für Schutztechnologien – ABC-Schutz (WIS). The group is led by a board composed of heads of member institutions; the official website lists board members including Inge Paulini (BfS), Isabel Rothe (BAuA), Frank Ordon (JKI), Cornelia Denz (PTB), Lars Schaade (RKI), Frank Sabath (WIS) and Dorothe Herpertz (BfG). The association organises events such as symposia and member assemblies; the official website announced a symposium and member assembly for 25–26 January 2027 at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg. Its work is framed by the German federal government's concept of modern departmental research and its ten guidelines. The group maintains a public website at ressortforschung.de with sections on members, board, cooperation and working groups.

The Working Group of the German Federal Departmental Research Establishments was founded on 9 February 2005 in Berlin as an association of federal institutions with research tasks in Germany. Its members are each assigned to a federal ministry and are generally designated as Bundesforschungsanstalten, Bundesanstalten, Bundesinstitute or Bundesämter. Beyond research itself, these institutions advise ministries and other political bodies on decisions and provide services in testing, approval, rule-setting, standardisation and monitoring. The association's stated goal is to represent the interests of departmental research establishments to politics, the public and other research organisations. It also seeks stronger quality assurance of scientific work, especially through external evaluations in cooperation with the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat). The first individual statements by the Wissenschaftsrat on seven departmental research establishments were published in May 2006. The group is led by a board composed of five scientists from member research institutions. Over time the membership has grown to more than 40 federal institutions, spanning fields such as radiation protection, occupational safety and health, plant research, metrology, public health, hydrology, cartography, nature conservation, meteorology, archaeology, animal health and defence-related research. The official website lists members including the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), the Federal Office for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG), the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), the German Weather Service (DWD), the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) and the Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut für Schutztechnologien – ABC-Schutz (WIS). The association organises events such as symposia and member assemblies; the official website announced a symposium and member assembly for 25–26 January 2027 at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg. Its work is framed by the German federal government's concept of modern departmental research and its ten guidelines. The group maintains a public website at ressortforschung.de with sections on members, board, cooperation and working groups.

• Founded in Berlin as an association of federal institutions with research tasks.

• First individual statements by the Wissenschaftsrat on seven departmental research establishments published.

• Symposium and member assembly scheduled for 25–26 January 2027 at IAB, Nuremberg.

A coordinating and advocacy umbrella for Germany's federal departmental research establishments, promoting quality assurance, experience exchange and cooperation rather than conducting research itself.

• Policy advice and scientific consultancy

  Member institutions advise ministries and political bodies on decisions.

• Testing, approval, standardisation and monitoring

  Services ensuring compliance with quality and safety standards.

• External evaluation and quality assurance

  Cooperation with the Wissenschaftsrat on external evaluations of departmental research.

• Symposia and member assemblies

  Events for experience exchange and coordination among members.

1. 1Ressortforschung: Ressortforschungressortforschung.de
2. 2Ressortforschung: Vorstandressortforschung.de
3. 3Ressortforschung: Mitgliederressortforschung.de
4. 4Ressortforschung: Über unsressortforschung.de
5. 5Working Group of the German Federal Departmental Research Establishmentswikidata.org
6. 6Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Ressortforschungseinrichtungende.wikipedia.org