Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space
Dorothee Bär
Dorothee Bär was born on 19 April 1978 in the historic cathedral city Bamberg, just a stone’s throw from her home district Haßberge where she grew up in the town of Ebelsbach. At the age of 14, she joined the youth organization of the CDU/CSU, before joining the main CSU party in 1994. She moved to Bavaria’s capital city Munich to study and was very active throughout Bavaria as chair of the regional branch of the German Association of Christian Democrat Students.
She became a member of the CSU executive committee in 2001 before being elected to the German Bundestag in the 2002 general election. From 2009 to 2013, she served as Deputy Secretary-General of the CSU as well as spokesperson for the whole CDU/CSU parliamentary group on matters pertaining to family affairs, senior citizens, women and youth. She was Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure from December 2013 until March 2018. From March 2018 until December 2021, she was a Minister of State at the Federal Chancellery and Federal Commissioner for Digitalization. From 2021 to 2025, she held the position of Deputy Chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for matters pertaining to family affairs and culture.
Parliamentary State Secretary Dr Silke Launert
Silke Launert was born on 27 December 1976 in Stadtsteinach, Bavaria. She has two children and lives in Bayreuth.
She studied law at the University of Bayreuth. She completed her degree, passing the first state examination in law in 2001. Between 2001 and 2002, Dr Launert worked as a research assistant at the Chair of Public Law under Professor Wilhelm Mößle. During this time she undertook additional training in economic sciences (WiWiZ) and was awarded the qualification of specialist in commercial law (Wirtschaftsjurist) by the University of Bayreuth in 2002. She then completed her practical legal training from 2002–2004 at the Bayreuth Regional Court. She passed the second state examination in law in 2004. In 2005, Silke Launert became a magistrate at the Hof Local Court (care and inheritance cases) and then a judge at the Hof Regional Court (general civil cases, capital investment and insurance law, lawyer and accountant liability, insolvency appeals). From 2007 to 2009, she worked as a district attorney for the Hof public prosecution service (general offences, juvenile crime, domestic violence, stalking, sex crimes). She then spent two years on parental leave. Between 2011 and 2013, she worked as a judge at the Hof Regional Court (general civil law, medical liability law). In 2013 she completed her doctorate in family and maintenance law at the University of Bayreuth.
Dr Silke Launert has been a member of the German Bundestag since the 18th legislative period. She was a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs from 2013 to 2017 and a member of the Committee for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth from 2013 to 2021. From 2018 to 2021, she was spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group on the Committee for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and a member of the Auditing Committee from 2018 until 2024. She has been a member of the Budget Committee, Chair of the Subcommittee for EU Affairs and a member of the Committee on Internal Affairs and Community since 2021.
In May 2025, Dr Silke Launert became Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space.
Parliamentary State Secretary Matthias Hauer
Matthias Hauer was born on 18 December 1977 in Hattingen, North-Rhine Westphalia. The lawyer lives with his family – his wife and two children – in the south of Essen.
Following his basic military service, Matthias Hauer studied law at the Ruhr University Bochum. He finished his degree in 2003, passing the first state examination in law before completing his practical legal training at Essen Regional Court. He passed the second state examination in law in 2005 and became a licensed lawyer. From 2005–2025, he worked as a lawyer in a law firm where he was also a partner from 2009–2023. In 2010, he became certified as a specialized lawyer in banking and capital market law.
Matthias Hauer has been involved in local politics in Essen since 1993. From 1999–2004, he was a member of the local district council for Werden/Kettwig/Bredeney and was a member of Essen’s City Council from 2004 until 2013. He has been chair of the CDU Essen district organization since 2015 and member of the CDU’s North-Rhine Westphalia executive committee since 2018.
Matthias Hauer won his constituency seat in Essen III (south and west Essen) in the general elections of 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025 and was thus directly elected to the German Bundestag. In the 18th to 20th legislative periods, Matthias Hauer was a member of the German Bundestag’s Finance Committee. During the 20th legislative period, he also served as spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. During the 19th legislative period he was also spokesperson for the parliamentary group in the committee of inquiry for the Wirecard affair and member of the Digital Agenda Committee. Since 2021, he has held the position of spokesperson for the Ruhr area working group of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group as well as deputy chair of the group’s parliamentarians from North-Rhine Westphalia.
In May 2025, Matthias Hauer became Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space.