Abbreviation BAM Type Standards organization | Formation 1871 Legal status Government agency | |
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Purpose Chemical and materials safety Headquarters Unter den Eichen 87, Steglitz, 12205 Berlin | ||
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (German: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, or BAM) is a German material research institute.
Contents
History
Its historical origins start in 1870, a year before 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 of Economics and Technology. 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.