FONA Forum - 6th BMBF Forum for Sustainability in Hamburg

09.-10. September 2009: On the occasion of the opening of the FONA Forum, the Green Talents were received by Professor Frieder Meyer-Krahmer, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, who honoured them for their efforts to develop creative and innovative solutions in the field of sustainable development.

The 6th BMBF Forum for Sustainability (FONA Forum) took place in Hamburg on 9 and 10 September 2009. FONA, which stands for “Forschung für Nachhaltigkeit” (“Research for Sustainability”), is a framework programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). On the occasion of the opening of the FONA Forum, the Green Talents were received by Professor Frieder Meyer-Krahmer, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, who honoured them for their efforts to develop creative and innovative solutions in the field of sustainability. In the afternoon, some of the Green Talents had an opportunity to present their research approaches at the thematic sessions.

With its “Research for Sustainability” framework programme, the BMBF has supported innovative measures and projects for several years now. In this way, it is pooling application-oriented research in this field. The area of sustainability research has been international in outlook from the very beginning because it requires a global perspective and international activities and solutions. Education and research are seen as central elements of international cooperation. They make a significant contribution to building up problem-solving skills and professional competences.

Experts from politics, science and industry took part in the FONA Forum. The aims of the conference were to present best practice examples, investigate new solutions, and promote networking in the research community. At the same time, the 6th FONA Forum was the kick-off event for the BMBF’s new framework programme on sustainability research: After five successful years of sustainability research, new thematic priorities were defined, international cooperation was strengthened, and efforts were made to create closer links between basic and applied research.