Status and Prospects of Astronomy in Germany 2003-2016: Memorandum

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG (German Research Foundation) is the central, self-governing research funding organization that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany. The DFG serves all branches of science and the humanities by funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among researchers.

The Council of German Observatories is the unifying body for all astronomical and astrophysical institutes in Germany and acts as the German member of the International Astronomical Union. It was founded in 1959 in Göttingen, Germany, and in 1962 assembled the first white paper on the situation of astronomy in Germany.