© Fotoatelier Klemm
Ladies and gentlemen,
This is the first time since the establishment of the Free State of Saxony that a completely new portfolio has been created: the Saxon State Ministry for Regional Development (SMR). This new Ministry links up areas that were formerly assigned to other ministries: rural development and innovations, structural development, state development and surveying as well as urban development, construction and housing.
As the Saxon State Minister for Regional Development, my aim is to create "vital regions" throughout the Free State of Saxony that exploit the synergies of both urban and rural spaces, advance their respective strengths and make up deficits through targeted support. Quality of life is not defined by immovable spaces and related
standards. Quality of life can also be measured by the ability to play a part and get involved. This is why the SMR supports ways in which people can turn their own ideas into a reality, though also test new concepts, for example residential forms or new ways of working.
The SMR stands for an affinity for technology, for encouraging innovations and a close dialogue between our broadly-based university and research landscape, the Saxon economy and administration – assisted by our simul+ future initiative. We are your first port of call for modern and innovative developments in towns and in the country, for new perspectives in the Lusatian and Central German brown coal regions, for modern building, for the latest aerial photos and elevation images, for art and culture in the countryside, for safe and viable building standards, for spatial planning, for the protection and preservation of historic monuments, for digital topographic maps, for urban development funding, vibrant village centres and much more.
Thomas Schmidt
Saxon State Minister for Regional Development
Department organisation
A very warm welcome here at the homepage of the Saxon Ministry for Regional Development.
The tasks that this department is entrusted with are rural development and innovations, structural development in the lignite mining areas of Saxony, surveying and mapping, urban development, construction and habitation, as you can see in the chart above.
We are organized in five operating departments and a directorate. If you want to learn more about the state minister and state secretary, please follow this link.
Overview of operating departments:
1 - General Organisation
The first department is entrusted with all questions concerning HR, law, data privacy, finances, budget, IT and registries.
2 - Regional Policies, Rural Development and Innovation
The secon department focusses on rural development and operates a grand variety of aid programmes, such as the European LEADER Programme (Liaison entre actions de développement de l'économie rurale), EFRE funds (European Regional Development Fund) or regional programmes like the Saxon programme "Vital Villages". It is also the home of our future initiative simul+, a platform for innovation-based regional development that connects partners, companies, institutes, universities and other institutions with one another in ordner to create progress and innovation through interdisciplinary views on real life problems.
3 - Structural Development - for new prospects in the Central German and Lusation Coal Fields
Germany has pledged to a path of climate friendly energy production. In 2038 the last coal-fired power plant will be retired. A tough challenge for those regions currently relying heavily on the jobs within this sector. Funds are provided by the federal state and the European Union to restructure local economies and make them future-proof, away from the traditional coal mining. The department coordinates all measures aiming to do so.
4 - State Development and Surveying
The core task of this business unit is to draw up interdisciplinary, medium-term spatial development and land-use plans. It is also responsible for the legal supervision of the four regional planning associations during regional planning and of the municipalities when planning land use. The SMR is the highest spatial and state planning authority in the Free State of Saxony.
5 - Urban Development, Construction and Housing
The fifth department is dedicated to the guidelines of construction and housing and all matters affiliated. It handles a multitude of aid and loan programmes for citizens and communities to create living space and preserve the traditional bulding culture and a high-quality living standard in all regions, rural or urban.
You can get in touch by sending us an e-mail or calling. Contact details can be found here.
