The exercise of project sponsorship includes the preparation, technical and administrative handling of the funding as well as documentation of BMBF projects in the funding areas:

- Coastal, marine and polar research

- Research infrastructures for marine and polar research, esp. also the operation of the research vessels

- New construction of research vessels

- International cooperation and legal affairs (national and international) in the above-mentioned fields.

The contents of the area of responsibility to be carried out serve the implementation of the Federal Government's "Research for Sustainable Development" strategy, as specified in the research programme "MARE:N; Coastal, Marine and Polar Research for Sustainability" of the Federal Government.

see section II.1.4 and specifications