Dr Stefan Kaufmann has served as Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since 19 June 2020. Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek appointed Dr Kaufmann, an experienced education and research policy maker, in the context of implementing the Federal Government’s National Hydrogen Strategy. The Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen is a permanent guest on the State Secretaries’ Committee for Hydrogen of the participating ministries as well as the National Hydrogen Council. He is responsible for coordinating the focus of the BMBF’s research and development activities and the transfer of R&D results into practical application, cooperating with various stakeholders from politics, industry and research who are involved in this process. The Innovation Commissioner is also tasked with introducing promising, innovative approaches and ideas from BMBF-led research on the political stage and in public debate.

Prior to his appointment as Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen, the fully qualified lawyer served as chair of the Study Commission “Vocational Training in the Digital Work Environment” and CDU/CSU spokesperson on the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment of the German Bundestag. Dr Kaufmann served as directly elected Member of the Bundestag for his Stuttgart constituency from 2009 to 2021. He chairs the CDU Federal Committee on Education, Research and Innovation.