ABOUT US Our mission statement

The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is a senior German federal scientific and technical institution operating under the authority of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. BAM combines research, evaluation, and consulting in the fields of technology and chemistry under one roof.

Responsible technological change helps guarantee our society’s prosperity. And new technologies are key to Germany’s status as a top business location. But the safety of new and sustainable technologies is also essential to build public trust in change and safeguard our future.

By working at the cutting edges of materials science, materials engineering, and chemistry, we make a crucial contribution to the technical safety of products, processes and to people’s life and work. For this purpose, we carry out research, perform tests and provide advice based on our technical expertise and many years of experience at the interfaces of science, technology, industry, and politics.

Within the context of our legal and socio-political responsibilities, we identify needs that will shape safety requirements in technology and chemistry in the future. With our scientific and technical solutions and by sharing our knowledge, we help promote German industry. Our work focuses on:

• Research and development,
• Knowledge and technology transfer,
• Scientific and technical services,
• State and public services.

BAM has been engaged in developing and validating analysis, testing and assessment methods as well as models, data and required standards for more than 150 years. We research, test and evaluate substances, materials, parts, components and equipment as well as natural and technical systems for safe handling and operation. We communicate safety solutions and implement them by establishing standards. Therefore, advice, information and participation in national and international bodies are a major part of our business.

BAM’s competence arises from interdisciplinary knowledge and our own high-quality and continuous research. Scientists at BAM collaborate on research topics in chemistry, materials science, and materials engineering across different levels of complexity.

We continuously consolidate and improve BAM’s scientific and technical capabilities. We use an integrated management system for control and governance.

We take responsibility for our tasks. Personal commitment and mutual appreciation are prerequisites for our work. Diversity, a culture of open discussion and the input of results to a group of equal experts guarantee our performance and quality.

Safety creates markets. As a higher federal authority, we are financially independent and act as a neutral moderator in external decision-making processes.

We also facilitate the transfer of scientific findings to the public domain for the purpose of policy advice and the fulfilment of public services. Our work helps to reduce the transaction costs involved in implementing policy decisions.

Through efficient knowledge and technology transfer, we make our findings, technologies, and processes available to interested stakeholders. Together with our partners and in line with our production model, we develop the research results into innovative products, processes, services and suitable transfer offers. We engage in technology transfer in our national and international networks by passing on our own findings. At the same time, we use the expertise and valuable ideas from our networks for our current work and in setting BAM’s future direction.

BAM sets and represents high standards for safety in technology and chemistry for Germany and for its global markets, to further develop the successful "Made in Germany" culture of quality.