Seal element of the university of freiburg in the shape of a clover Grünes FRIAS Logo mit Unterzeile "Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies"
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
  • Side profile of three workshop participants during a discussion in the FRIAS seminar room.
  • FRIAS fellows walking towards the FRIAS building.
  • Two Researchers with microscope
  • Frontal view of a crowded lecture hall at the University of Freiburg.
  • Abdulrazak Gurnah in conversation with two people at his Staudinger lecture.
  • Two people facing each other in conversation. Behind them are exhibition cases and a white sculpture of a woman.
  • People talking in the FRIAS lounge during a coffee break.
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.

Voller Vorlesungssaal an der Uni Freiburg während Sven Beckerts Vortrag.

Events

Eine „Hyperrealität“ verstehen: Neue Perspektiven auf die Geschichte des Kapitalismus

Das Sommersemester 2026 endet mit zwei hochrangig besetzten Veranstaltungen zur Geschichte des Kapitalismus. Harvard-Historiker Sven Beckert diskutierte seine international beachtete Globalgeschichte des Kapitalismus. Patricia Clavin von der Universität Oxford richtete den Blick auf die Verflechtung von Kapitalismus und Sicherheit seit Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts.

Read more
Group of people in a seminar room

Call for Applications

Apply for the FRIAS Fellowship Programmes 2027/28

FRIAS is now accepting applications for the new cycle of the Early Career Fellowships, the Senior Fellowships and the Fellowship Programme for researchers from Africa. Scientists from all disciplines are welcome to apply. The application deadline is 18 September 2026.

Read more
Tea Time in the FRIAS Lounge

Become a Fellow

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

chevron-right How to become a Fellow

Get in touch

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

chevron-right Contact us
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.

chevron-right 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.

chevron-right More on Funding
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.

chevron-right Current Projects
chevron-right 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.

chevron-right All events
Dark blue event banner with abstract geometric shapes and fragmented lettering surrounding the title ‘Art Matters’ and the subtitle ‘Art, AI, Sustainability – An Artistic Research Event’ in the center.

Workshop, Keynote and Concert
Art Matters. Art, AI, Sustainability

6-7 October 2026
Keynote at KG I, 1015
Workshop at FRIAS seminar room
Concert at Humboldtsaal

News & Media

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

chevron-right All news
Portrait of Sujata Patel

Faces of FRIAS

India’s Multiplicity and the Cosmopolitan Mind

From her childhood in a household shaped by Gandhi’s activism to her work as a historical sociologist, Sujata Patel has spent her career mapping the complexities of postcolonial India. She explains why we must unlearn universal sociological frameworks to grasp the social realities of the Global South and the urgent need for a truly cosmopolitan science.

Read more
Porträtfoto von Sven Beckert am Rednerpult. Hinter ihm das mintgrüne FRIAS-Banner.

Events

Eine „Hyperrealität“ verstehen: Neue Perspektiven auf die Geschichte des Kapitalismus

Das Sommersemester 2026 endet mit zwei hochrangig besetzten Veranstaltungen zur Geschichte des Kapitalismus. Harvard-Historiker Sven Beckert diskutierte seine international beachtete Globalgeschichte des Kapitalismus. Patricia Clavin von der Universität Oxford richtete den Blick auf die Verflechtung von Kapitalismus und Sicherheit seit Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts.

Mehr Erfahren
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.

Read more

Short News

Daniela Müller (FRIAS Fellow 2021-25) has published the monography Katharer des Nordens at Herder Verlag. The study offers a historical investigation into the presence and influence of the Cathar movement in Northern Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries, tracing their impact along the Rhine, Meuse, and Seine.

Manuela Boatcă (Rector’s Fellow 2021/22) has been appointed Theodor Heuss Professor at The New School for Social Research in New York. The sociologist, whose expertise lies in decoloniality, global inequalities, and transnational entanglements, will hold the professorship for one year.

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.

row of YAS members FRIAS Seminar room

Interested in our Funding Programmes?

Learn more about what we have to offer.

chevron-right Funding Finder