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.

Podiumsdiskussion

FRIAS Alumnus Sven Beckert diskutiert über Weltgeschichte des Kapitalismus

Mit seinem Buch „Kapitalismus: Geschichte einer Weltrevolution“ hat der Historiker und FRIAS Alumnus Sven Beckert internationales Aufsehen erregt. Am 14. Juli (18:15 Uhr) diskutiert er das Werk im Rahmen der Reihe „Bücher, über die man spricht“ an der Universität Freiburg. Mit auf dem Podium ist unter anderen Jürgen Osterhammel (FRIAS Distinguished Fellow).

Mehr Erfahren

Balzan-FRIAS Lecture

Human Security and the History of Capitalism

How should we understand the relationship between societies’ economic and social security and their national security in a globalized world? On 16 July 2026 (16:15), Patricia Clavin will give the Balzan-FRIAS lecture about the intertwined history of capitalism and international institutions in the twentieth century. Members of the University of Freiburg are warmly welcome.

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

Blick in den FRIAS Seminarraum aus dem Gang

FRIAS Colloquium

Ancestral Remains in University Collections – Neglected Governance Aspects

13 July 2026, 15:00-16:00

Andreas Mehler
University of Freiburg

FRIAS seminar room

Bücher, über die man spricht

Kapitalismus. Geschichte einer Weltrevolution

14 July 2026, 18:15

Veranstaltungssaal der Universitätsbibliothek

Diskussionsteilnehmer:
Sven Beckert (Havard University)
Matthias Leanza (Universität Basel)
Jürgen Osterhammel (FRIAS Fellow)
Thomas Steiner (Badische Zeitung)

Balzan-FRIAS Lecture

Human Security and the History of Capitalism

16 July 2026, 16:15-18:00
Prof. Dr. Patricia Clavin
Professor of Modern History (University of Oxford)
FRIAS seminar room

News & Media

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

All news

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.

Eine Anlage in der der Erdbeeren unter Solarmodulen wachsen daneben Menschen

Press Release

New Pilot Plant Combines Solar Power Generation with Agriculture

On 20 May 2026, an agrivoltaic pilot plant was inaugurated on the grounds of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Freiburg. In addition to generating scientific insights, it aims to spark interest in a key future topic in the energy sector. The project has been launched by the FRIAS Project Group Agrivoltaics.

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.

Short News

Marlene Bartos (FRIAS Direktorin 2015/17) und Johanna Pink (FRIAS Steuerungsgremium) erhalten vom Europäischen Forschungsrat zwei ERC Advanced Grants. Sie forschen zur Gedächtnisbildung im Gehirn sowie zur Entstehung der islamischen Moderne anhand von Traditionen der Koranauslegung im 19. Jahrhundert.

Sabine Döring (Guest Researcher 2026/27) veröffentlicht eine Monografie und einen Aufsatz zu aktuellen Herausforderungen der liberalen Demokratie. Beide Publikationen knüpfen an ihr FRIAS-Projekt an, das das Verhältnis von individueller Freiheit, Solidarität und Gemeinwohl untersucht.

Eva von Contzen (FRIAS Fellow 2017/23 & 2024/25) berichtet in der FAZ über den FRIAS-Workshop „Anglophone Studies in the Age of Generative AI: Scholarship, Criticism, Teaching“ von Gero Guttzeit (FRIAS Fellow 2025/26). Im Mittelpunkt stehen die Herausforderungen und Chancen generativer KI für Literatur-, Kultur- und Sprachwissenschaften.

Interested in our Funding Programmes?

Learn more about what we have to offer.

Funding Finder