As Germany's largest providor of external research funding, the German Research Foundation (DFG) also plays a central role in the design of the research environment. Advised to do so by DGM committee members, in 2005 it recommended naming all research activities to do with materials uniformly and in so doing, establishing an independent, visible field of expertise in Germany. Its scientific councils "Materialwissenschaft" (materials science) and "Werkstofftechnik"(engineering) and their range of subjects have emerged from this recommendation. The DGM is the only organisation that is allowed to make recommendations on the choice of DFG Review Boards.

Materials Engineering

Materials Science