The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, or BAM, is a German research institute in the field of materials science.

History

Its historical origins start in 1871, a year in which Germany was unified, as the Mechanisch-Technische Versuchsanstalt. From 1904–19 there was the Königliches Materialprüfungsamt. From 1920–45 there was the Staatliches Materialprüfungsamt (MPA) and from 1919–45 there was the Chemisch-Technische Reichsanstalt (CTR). In 1954 the Bundesanstalt für mechanische und chemische Materialprüfung was formed, becoming the Bundesanstalt für Materialprüfung in 1956. In 1969 it became a government agency (Bundesoberbehörde). In 1986 the name changed to Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung.

Function

Within the interconnected fields of materials, chemistry, environment, and safety, the main areas are:

Structure

It is owned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Its competences are to improve safety in technology and chemistry through research and development, testing, analysis, approvals, advice, and information. The headquarters in Berlin are near the Berlin Botanischer Garten station.

Departments

The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing is subdivided into departments and divisions. The staff sums up to about 1700 members.