DAM evaluation report published

In order to review the effectiveness of the DAM, an external strategic and structural evaluation of the DAM’s activities to date was carried out in 2024 and the evaluation report was published in May 2025. The evaluation commission came to the following conclusion:

Based on the data collected, the Evaluation Commission comes to the conclusion that the DAM has created key prerequisites for achieving the objectives of the DAM in accordance with the Administrative Agreement, Section 1 Tasks and objectives of the DAM, in the long term. According to the findings of the Evaluation Commission, the DAM has assumed a leading role as a platform for the coordination and strategic development of German marine research since its foundation in 2019 and has established key structures for this purpose. It promotes cooperation between key stakeholders in the field of marine research and acts as a centre of excellence as well as an information and contact point for stakeholders both within and outside the scientific system. The activities of the DAM office in cooperation with its network of member institutions and external partners have so far focussed primarily on stakeholder groups within Germany. At the same time, the activities increasingly contribute to strengthening the visibility and effectiveness of German marine research at an international level. Planned activities suggest that the DAM will continue to expand its international position and thus interlink German marine research even more closely with international research and transfer initiatives.

The Evaluation Commission is particularly positive about the strengthened cooperation between non-university research institutions and universities in the participating countries as a result of the establishment of the DAM. The alliance of member institutions under one brand generates added value that goes many times beyond what individual members can achieve on their own to strengthen Germany as a centre of science and research into global climate change.

The Evaluation Commission notes that the DAM is unique in the German research landscape in its role as a central platform for German marine research. This cooperation model is seen by stakeholders outside of marine research as potentially beneficial for other interdisciplinary and cross-institutional fields of research. The Evaluation Commission is in favour of further strengthening the activities of the DAM and consistently continuing the funding of the DAM. In view of the successes already achieved and with a view to greater planning security in the implementation of long-term goals, the Evaluation Commission recommends that the federal government and the participating federal states examine the possibilities of organisational and financial continuation of the DAM.

We are very pleased about the positive assessment and would like to thank everyone for their past and future support! We are also very pleased that the future Federal Government has taken up the proposal of the DAM Evaluation Commission in its coalition agreement, whose core messages include the continuation of the DAM as one of the world’s largest research alliances.

Together with the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM), we are now devoting ourselves to the next important task: merging into a joint organisation for German marine research.

Download the Evaluation Report:

Evaluation Report (German)

BMBF press release on the evaluation report:

see press release (German)

Contact for queries about the evaluation:

Joachim Harms, Chairman of the DAM Executive Board