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.

Freiburger Horizonte

Welche Museen braucht das
21. Jahrhundert?

Museen bewahren nicht nur Kunst und Kulturgut. Sie sind Orte der Bildung, des Austauschs und der
gesellschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung. Wie müssen sie sich aufstellen, um relevant
zu bleiben? Darüber spricht die neue Präsidentin der Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Marion Ackermann, am 24. November
bei den Freiburger Horizonten.

CAT group Academic Freedom stading in the lecture hall at FRIAS

Press Release

Early Career Researchers Explore Interplay Between Funding and Academic Freedom

FRIAS hosted a research group to explore the tensions between research funding and academic freedom in a historical context. The visit was part of the Constructive Advanced Thinking Programme (CAT), a common initiative by the Network of Institutes for Advanced Study (Netias).

Call for Applications

FRIAS Funding for Interdisciplinary Project Groups

For the 2027/28 academic year, FRIAS is funding two project groups to support interdisciplinary early-stage collaborations at the University of Freiburg. Eligible are groups of 3 to 6 researchers from UFR and other Freiburg-based research institutions of whom at least two must be full-time professors at the University of Freiburg. Application deadline is 26 November 2026. The programme starts in October 2027.

Become a Fellow

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

How to become a Fellow

Get in touch

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

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.

Learn about FRIAS

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.

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.

Current Projects

Freiburg Postdoctoral Academy

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.

All events

Are Ideas Becoming Harder to Find?
Philippe Aghion

26 November 2026, 17:00

Anatomy Lecture Hall
Alberstraße 17
79104 Freiburg

Hermann Staudinger Lecture

Blick in den FRIAS Seminarraum aus dem Gang

FRIAS Colloquium
God and the World: The Inspiration of the Bible and the Concept of Modernity, c. 1860–1960
Almuth Ebke

9 November 2026, 15:00-16:00

FRIAS seminar room

Albertstraße 19
79104 Freiburg

Global warming and climate change concept.Half world of polluted and green environment background.Paper art of ecology and environment concept.Vector illustration.

Workshop & Panel discussion
Collaborative Governance of Sustainability Transformations in Times of Conflict and Societal Polarization

4-5 November 2026
Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
Albertstraße 19
79104 Freiburg

Cover der Single zum Film „Wir Wunderkinder“ aus dem Jahr 1958/59

Conference
Populäre Musik und Nachkriegszeiten. Zwischen kultureller Selbstvergewisserung, Unterhaltung und Verdrängung (1945–1960)

27–28 November 2026
Zentrum für Populäre Kultur und Musik der Universität Freiburg (ZPKM)
Rosastraße 17-19
79098 Freiburg
FRIAS Projektgruppe: „Nachkriegszeiten: Pluralität – Temporalität – Re/Konstruktionen“

News & Media

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

All news

Faces of FRIAS

‘Being Human’ in a Technological World

Karola Kreitmair initially trained as an actor before becoming a philosopher and bioethicist. In this interview, she discusses the ethical challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the moral status of brain organoids and why artificial intelligence cannot be genuinely empathetic.

Three people posing for a photo on a grassy waterfront overlooking Marseille’s historic Fort Saint-Jean, with the harbor, marina, city skyline, and surrounding mountains in the background under a clear blue sky.

Press Release

Ralf von den Hoff Elected President of NetIAS

Ralf von den Hoff, FRIAS Executive Director, was introduced as the new President of the Network of European Institutes for Advanced Studies (NetIAS) at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Marseille. In his new role, he aims to strengthen the visibility of the European IAS community and build upon the network’s successful initiatives in interdisciplinary research and academic freedom.

Image showing the silhouettes of Freiburg's oldtown with the munster in the center. The background is in the FRIAS corporate green.

Press Release

Wessen Stadtbild? Symposium hinterfragt Ästhetik, Macht und Ausgrenzung im urbanen Raum

Eine Veranstaltung der Young Academy for Cultures and Societies Research (YAC) am 1. und 2. Oktober 2026 am FRIAS beschäftigte sich mit den Verschränkungen von urbaner Ästhetik, Stadtplanung und Rassismus. Unter dem Titel „Unser Stadtbild“ setzte die Veranstaltung einen bewussten Gegenakzent zu ausgrenzenden Erzählungen über das Erscheinungsbild deutscher Städte.

Short News

Elisabeth Piller (Senior Fellow 2024/26) has been promoted to a full professorship after six years as a junior professor.

Elisa Orrù (Senior Fellow 2026/27)has been admitted to the prestigious Heisenberg Program for her project “Autonomy: Concept, Value, and Challenges of a Key Philosophical Concept.”

Evanghelia Stead (Senior Fellow 2014/15) has received the 2026 Max Nänny Prize for her book Goethe’s Faust I Outlined: Moritz Retzsch’s Prints in Circulation. The book explores the distribution of Goethe’s Faust I to wider audiences through the interplay of text and images. The research began during Stead’s stay at FRIAS, which was crucial in making key materials accessible for the book.

Interested in our Funding Programmes?

Learn more about what we have to offer.

Funding Finder