Seal element of the university of freiburg in the shape of a clover
Seal element of the university of freiburg in the shape of a clover
Text icon 'UFR' standing for University of Freiburg
  • FRIAS Building behind a tree
  • Situation in the FRIAS seminar room. Female person speaking
  • YAS Members having conversation in the FRIAS lounge
  • Two Researchers with microscope
Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies

Welcome to FRIAS!

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) is the University of Freiburg’s research college. It provides time, space, and funding for high-level research. FRIAS is dedicated to interdisciplinary research across a wide variety of topics and welcomes scholars from all countries and disciplines.

Crowd walking on global map

Call for Applications

Balzan-FRIAS Masterclass welcomes scholars in Global History

Early Career Researchers are invited to apply for a two-day masterclass with Patricia Clavin (University of Oxford) on Global Histories of Capitalism. It is held on 16–17 July 2026. The event is part of the Balzan–FRIAS Project in Global History. Application Deadline: 31 May 2026.

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Portrait of Michael Butter

Freiburger Horizonte

Was hilft gegen Verschwörungstheorien?

Je verworrener die Welt, desto mehr Menschen sehnen sich nach simplen Erklärungen. Der Tübinger Amerikanist Michael Butter beschäftigt sich in seinem neuen Buch “Die Alarmierten” mit Verschwörungstheorien. Am  13. Mai 2026 stellt er es an der Universität Freiburg vor.

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Faces of FRIAS

Is the Author Dead When the Machine Writes? On Literature in the Time of AI

Literary scholar Gero Guttzeit investigates how Artificial Intelligence is transforming authorship, reading, and textuality – and explains why a literary and cultural studies perspective is indispensable for the wider debate about AI.

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Tea Time in the FRIAS Lounge

Become a Fellow

Are you Postdoc or an established researcher? Explore your opportunities at FRIAS.

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Get in touch

How can we help? Find the right contact person for your specific inquiry.

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YAS Members working in the FRIAS seminar room

About FRIAS

Founded in 2007, FRIAS is a central academic institution of the University of Freiburg, deeply integrated into the university’s structure. FRIAS fosters connections between the University of Freiburg and the global academic community, encouraging partnerships and research collaborations that enhance the university’s international presence. With its funding programmes, FRIAS provides a space and forum for scholars from diverse fields to research and collaborate, promoting new perspectives on critical scientific and societal challenges.

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Funding

FRIAS offers time-limited research residencies in Freiburg, welcoming both established researchers and promising early-career scholars (with a minimum of a completed PhD) from all disciplines, based in Freiburg, Europe, and beyond. To support collaborative initiatives, FRIAS also funds group research projects that bring together interdisciplinary teams, encouraging innovative approaches to research topics and questions across all fields.

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Two Researchers with microscope
FRIAS Fellow in Library

Research

Research at FRIAS is driven by funding programmes and is conducted on a temporary basis. Unrestricted by fixed themes or specific research fields, FRIAS is open to ideas from all academic disciplines. At its core are the individual research projects of FRIAS fellows, complemented by collaborative research group projects. Most recently, FRIAS launched the Freiburg Postdoctoral Academy, which focuses on supporting early-career researchers and is closely integrated with the University of Freiburg’s primary research areas.

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Events

FRIAS offers a diverse selection of events and lecture series for Fellows, university members, and the wider public. Find your highlight and be part of it.

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Portrait of Michael Butter

Die Alarmierten. Was Verschwörungstheorien anrichten –
Buchvorstellung und Diskussion
Michael Butter

13. Mai 2026, 19:00-20:30

HS1098, KG I

Freiburger Horizonte

Blick in den FRIAS Seminarraum aus dem Gang

FRIAS Colloquium

Casey Walsh – Visibility and Property in California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)

11 May 2026, 15:15-16:15

Casey Walsh

FRIAS seminar room

Dark blue background with a silhouette of the demonstrator construction

Opening Ceremony: ZEE Agrivoltaics Demonstrator
FRIAS Project Group: Agrivoltaics

20 May 2026, 13:00

Georges-Köhler-Allee 401a
79110 Freiburg
(behind the Institute for Solar Physics)

News & Media

Learn more about the latest stories and developments at FRIAS and discover our media library.

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Faces of FRIAS

Is the Author Dead When the Machine Writes? On Literature in the Time of AI

Literary scholar Gero Guttzeit investigates how Artificial Intelligence is transforming authorship, reading, and textuality – and explains why a literary and cultural studies perspective is indispensable for the wider debate about AI.

Read more
Portrait of Max Trommsdorff and Tim Krieger

Faces of FRIAS

Harvesting the Sun Twice: How Researchers in Freiburg Are Advancing Agrivoltaics

At the interface of the University of Freiburg and Fraunhofer ISE, economist Tim Krieger and photovoltaic researcher Max Trommsdorff bring together researchers from different disciplines to explore how farmland can produce both agricultural yields and renewable power.

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Open early printed book displayed on a dark background, showing two facing pages. The left page features a detailed black-and-white woodcut illustration depicting a medieval scene with several figures gathered around a seated person, possibly during a ritual or medical procedure. The right page contains dense Gothic-style text with decorative initials, characteristic of early modern printed works.

Press Release

Forschung in Zeiten des Krieges: Tetiana Hoshko als VUIAS-Fellow am FRIAS

Mit der Historikerin Tetiana Hoshko begrüßt das FRIAS die erste Empfängerin des neuen VUIAS Fellowships.
Der Forschungsaufenthalt ist Teil einer internationalen Initiative zur Unterstützung ukrainischer Wissenschaftler:innen.

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Short News

Monika Fludernik (FRIAS Fellow 2019/20) has published a book on “Developments in Narrative Structure” , tracing developments in English narrative structure from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period. FRIAS hosted the book launch in April 2026.

Cristina Espinosa (YAS Fellow from 2021 to 2024 and member of the first YAS cohort) has published an article titled “Mobilizing rights of nature and science to contest industrial mining: The legal battle of Intag’s frogs” in the journal “Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space”.

275 Forschende bewarben sich um die Early-Career-Rescue-Fellowships des FRIAS und zweier weiterer IAS. 14 von ihnen können damit trotz Einschränkungen der Wissenschaftsfreiheit in den USA weiterforschen. SWR und Badische Zeitung berichten.

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row of YAS members FRIAS Seminar room

Interested in our Funding Programmes?

Learn more about what we have to offer.

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