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Forum for Sustainability in Hamburg

In September the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) welcomed over 400 economic, scientific and political experts at the 6th Forum for Sustainability in Hamburg, based on the motto "Research for Sustainability - One Step Further". Sustainability is one of the Federal Ministry’s main funding areas. Currently, the BMBF invests more than 400 million euro in project funding every year, with an additional 350 million euro allocated to major research institutes. Its funding budget is set to increase by another 50 million euro in 2010. "We are aware of our global responsibility," said Prof. Frieder Meyer-Krahmer, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), in his keynote address. This is why the BMBF is currently spending more than half a billion euro to support sustainability projects, in which foreign partners are also involved.

Climate protection and the sustainable use of natural resources are the main areas of research and funding. "We are forging partnerships for sustainable growth with threshold and developing countries," Meyer-Krahmer added. "This also helps us improve the export opportunities for German environmental technologies." The projects are all part of the government’s high-tech strategy to link science and practical application more closely.

This year’s fona Forum focused on international responsibility in matters of environmental protection and sustainability, innovations in climate and natural resource protection, and sustainable forestry. Last year the BMBF awarded research projects in the field of sustainable forestry approximately 30 million euro. The results of the research were discussed and analyzed at the forum.
More information: www.fona.de