In 2004 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) launched the funding programme "Recycling management of plant nutrients, especially phosphorus".

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research will fund research and development projects which comprise the proving of novel and up to now not employed technologies and processes for recovery of phosphorus and if applicable further plant nutrients from waste materials - especially from municipal waste water and sewage sludge as well as from further applicable secondary raw materials. The BMBF-projects will be coordinated by the Project Management Agency Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Water Technology and Waste Management Division (PTKA-WTE).

In addition to the research and development projects the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety will fund investment projects which demonstrate in large-scale the road capability of already fully developed processes. The German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) will coordinate the BMU-projects.

The funding programme makes a contribution to the realisation of the framework programme "Research for Sustainability" and is aimed at activating an impulse for innovative processes which produce fertilisers, fertiliser components or ingredients for the fertiliser industry using these recycling products. The produced materials have to comply with the legal requirements at least e.g. the requirements of the German Fertiliser Regulation.