Fellow Support

Fellows at FRIAS benefit from various forms of financial support, tailored to their individual circumstances and the specific funding program. These include:

• Employment Contract
• Cost Coverage for Representation
• Fixed Compensation

In addition, fellows may access further funding opportunities based on the respective program, such as:

Travel Expenses: Coverage for travel costs related to arrivals and departures.

Research Budget: Supporting project implementation, including conference participation, workshop organization, publication fees, and literature.

Individual Training: Resources to enhance professional skills and expertise tailored to the fellow’s research and career development needs.

Please contact the team Administrative Services for more detailed information in the respective programme.

You might! We always recommend contacting the German Embassy in your country of residence for visa requirements relevant to you. 

We will gladly provide you with essential documents such as a Hosting Agreement, Confirmation of Presence and Letter of Invitation. Additionally you might need to provide Proof of Housing, -Health Insurance and -Sufficient Financial Means. 

For further assistance with visa-related matters, we encourage you to register with the University of Freiburg’s Welcome Center.

Are you planning to arrive in Germany a few days prior to your Fellowship start date to attend a conference, or would you like to take the opportunity to travel or visit friends or family after your Fellowship ends?

If so, please note that the university can only reimburse travel costs for direct routes from your home or workplace to Freiburg on the exact dates of your Fellowship. To process your reimbursement, we will need a screenshot of a booking website showing the estimated cost of a direct trip, taken on the same day you book your travel. Please ensure the date of booking is clearly visible in the screenshot. 

Train: Travel costs for train journeys in second class (maximum flex fare) on a direct route from the place of residence/workplace to the travel destination and back will be reimbursed.

Rental Car: The cost of a rental car is generally not refundable.

Taxi: Taxi costs can only be reimbursed in exceptional circumstances and with a valid reason. Taxi rides from and to the airport cannot be reimbursed.

Car: If driving your own vehicle, car travel can only be reimbursed for good reason and according to a flat-rate of €0.30/km. Parking fees cannot be covered unless there is a justified reason.

Airplane: Travelling by plane is only permitted if economic reasons for using the aircraft outweigh environmental concerns. Generally, only the flight costs of the lowest class are eligible for reimbursement. Seat reservations and domestic flights within Germany cannot be reimbursed.

If you need further assistance, please get in touch with Qianfei Dong.

As a guest researcher in Germany, it is essential to have the appropriate health insurance coverage. Most fellows who are contracted will automatically be enrolled in the German health insurance system. In some instances, you may have the option to retain your insurance from your home country. All other Fellows are advised to ensure they have adequate health insurance coverage.

You may also want to consider taking out personal liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung), which covers you in the event that you accidentally cause damage to another person or property. It is highly recommended for residents in Germany.

Finding reasonably priced housing in Freiburg can be challenging. To secure a place to stay, we recommend starting your search as early as possible. In certain cases, we offer to request a reservation for an apartment at University’s guesthouse, which can be rented for whole months and up to a six months’ stay.

Alternatively, you may want to explore online platforms for housing rentals. If you need further guidance or support in this matter, please do not hesitate to contact the Fellow Support team.

Depending on the duration of your Fellowship, as well as the ages of the children, you have different options when it comes to childcare. For further information, kindly contact the Family Service of the University of Freiburg.

If you are bringing children, especially preschoolers, and intend to stay for less than a year, we strongly suggest bringing someone along, such as a family member or an Au Pair, to help care for your child. Generally, daycare services require a minimum enrollment of one year, making it quite challenging to find a provider who accepts children for shorter durations. For older children, while most elementary schools do offer afternoon childcare, securing a spot can be quite competitive and often necessitates significant effort from the parents.

The University of Freiburg offers support for partners through its Dual Career Policy. This includes personalized counseling to aid in job searches, access to networking events, and workshops to enhance employability skills. The university collaborates with local businesses and institutions to create job opportunities, aiming to foster a supportive environment for dual-career families. This is aimed at partners of professors employed by the university.

As a Fellow of our Institute, you will be expected to be on-site for the entire duration of your Fellowship, with the exception of time for participation in conferences and workshops and for personal leave. If you have any special circumstances that may affect your on-site availability, please discuss them with us as soon as possible.

For more information on business trips, please contact the Finance Team.

No, combining your fellowship with another scholarship or funding source is not permitted. This policy helps guarantee that all fellows receive equal support and preserves the integrity of the fellowship program.

Throughout your fellowship, you are expected to conduct research as outlined in your submitted research plan. Regular participation in the FRIAS community is also essential, which includes attending colloquia, workshops, conferences, and communal meals, as well as special interdisciplinary events.

Please attribute FRIAS in all presentations, publications, grant proposals, and patent applications related to your work. This includes acknowledging FRIAS during and after your fellowship for any projects that arise from your time at the institute.

Yes, each fellow is assigned a dedicated contact person. After accepting your fellowship, your contact person will reach out with information about your stay as well as offer support regarding housing, visa, travel planning and arrangements for bringing your family. They will be your go-to resource for any administrative inquiries throughout your time at the institute. Please contact Fellow Support for more information.

FRIAS provides 28 dedicated offices for our fellows, ensuring comfortable and inspiring workspaces. The offices either face south, offering views of the city and the magnolias in front of the building, or north, overlooking the university campus and the ginkgo trees at the back.

Each office is equipped with a stationary computer, monitor, and phone. If you require assistance with the setup or encounter any technical issues, please do not hesitate to reach out to our IT Team for support.

As a UniCard holder, you have daily access to the university library from 8:00 am to midnight, with the last entry at 11:30 pm. Additionally, you are welcome to use various departmental libraries for more specialized resources

Yes, we can. We offer support for international Fellows in collecting library books and literature research materials. Please send an email to literature@frias.uni-freiburg.de, and our colleague will handle the ordering, collection, and delivery of the books. Depending on the scope and time required, our colleague can also assist with thematic literature research, more extensive archiving tasks, reviewing, proofreading, or minor research projects.

Fellows with a university contract will receive a UniCard that works as a key card and a prepaid card for the university restaurant (Mensa). Guests may request a prepaid card for a deposit of 7€ at the university restaurant.

Monday is the designated day for the meet and greet at FRIAS! The lunch on Monday, along with the subsequent colloquium, is mandatory and a great opportunity to connect with other fellows and guest researchers. On Tuesdays, you have the option to join an additional external lunch. Additionally, the weekly Tea Time and the bi-weekly Lunch Lectures series offer valuable opportunities to connect, discuss, and contemplate a variety of topics.

Please also check the FRIAS blackboard located at the entrance of the building for announcements regarding upcoming events, as well as a list of all current Fellows in residence.

As a guest researcher in Germany, it is essential to have the appropriate health insurance coverage. Most fellows who are contracted will automatically be enrolled in the German health insurance system. In some instances, you may have the option to retain your insurance from your home country. All other Fellows are advised to ensure they have adequate health insurance coverage.

You may also want to consider taking out personal liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung), which covers you in the event that you accidentally cause damage to another person or property. It is highly recommended for residents in Germany.

If you plan to organise a workshop, lecture, book launch or conference at FRIAS during your fellowship, please contact the Event team in person or via events@frias.uni-freiburg.de. Useful basic information to start planning include proposed date[s], format, title and expected number of participants. FRIAS offers a seminar room, a lecture hall, and suitable spaces for small group meetings. Additionally, rooms at the University of Freiburg can be reserved if needed.

FRIAS covers research costs necessary for the successful implementation of the research project. The fund is bundled, allowing you to allocate and use them as you wish.

This funding can be used for conference participation (including travel, fees, and accommodation), organizing workshops related to the fellow’s research topic, and expenses for publications, literature, and databases. However, research funds cannot be used for purchasing equipment (such as laptops). Please contact the FRIAS Finance Team before purchasing any item.

For Fellows with a university contract: if you are ill for more than two days, you are required to submit a doctor´s certificate (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung). You can obtain this document from your general practitioner (Hausarzt), who is your primary contact for non-emergency medical concerns. All other Fellows are requested to inform us about any illness-related absences.

FRIAS Fellows with a university contract are required to complete a vacation form for insurance purposes. All other Fellows are requested to inform the Fellow Service of absences of more than four days.

For Fellows with a university contract, the number of vacation days depend on the length of your Fellowship. You receive 2.5 full days per Fellowship month. These days are bundled and you can use them as you please upon prior approval. You will receive a vacation spread sheet from Fellow Support.

Before going on a research trip during your fellowship, the trip must be applied for and approved.  The University of Freiburg has three different types of travel requests:

p065: Business trip without reimbursement of expenses
p080: Business trip with reimbursement of expenses for employees
p875: Business trip with reimbursement of expenses for externals

For more information on applying for travel, please have a look at the handbook or ask our colleagues of the fellow support.

Train: Travel costs for train journeys in second class (maximum flex fare) on a direct route from the place of residence/workplace to the travel destination and back will be reimbursed.

Rental Car: The cost of a rental car is generally not refundable.

Taxi: Taxi costs can only be reimbursed in exceptional circumstances and with a valid reason. Taxi rides from and to the airport cannot be reimbursed.

Car: If driving your own vehicle, car travel can only be reimbursed for good reason and according to a flat-rate of €0.30/km. Parking fees cannot be covered unless there is a justified reason.

Airplane: Travelling by plane is only permitted if economic reasons for using the aircraft outweigh environmental concerns. Generally, only the flight costs of the lowest class are eligible for reimbursement. Seat reservations and domestic flights within Germany cannot be reimbursed.

If you need further assistance, please get in touch with Qianfei Dong.

It is generally possible to combine private and business travel. When booking the trip, a few points must be taken into account, as it must be proven that the University of Freiburg has not incurred any additional costs as a result of the private trip. 

This is particularly important when booking trains and flights. The traveller must prove with the help of comparative offers that the earlier arrival or later departure was not more expensive than if they had travelled directly to and from the official event.

Screenshots from websites such as flight comparison sites are sufficient for this purpose. are sufficient. The offers must always date from the day of booking. The following information must be visible on the comparison offers: 

• Current date
• Date of the travel days
• The price
• Airline
• Airports 
• Booking class

If the comparative offers are lower than the tariff actually booked, only the costs of the cheaper offer can be reimbursed. If no comparative offers are available, the reimbursable costs will be reduced by the University of Freiburg’s Travel Expenses Office.

If you need further assistance, please get in touch with Qianfei Dong.

To have your travel expenses for the fellowship reimbursed, you need the form p875. In this form, you can list all costs incurred during the fellowship trip. The completed and signed form, along with all relevant receipts, must then be submitted to the Fellow Support at FRIAS.

Most universities have eduroam. You can use the account of your home university. If you are having problems logging in or if you do not have an eduroam account, please contact our IT Team.

For any technical and IT-related questions, including issues with Wi-Fi access, please reach out to our IT Team. They are available to assist you with troubleshooting and resolving any technical difficulties you may encounter. You can contact them via email or visit them on the first floor (room 01 017) during regular hours for in-person assistance.

As a fellow at FRIAS, you will have access to a variety of technical equipment to support your work. This includes a computer with necessary software installed, as well as access to printers, scanners, and other essential office supplies. If you have specific technical needs or require additional equipment, please let our IT support team know, and we will do our best to accommodate your requests.

You can obtain office supplies at the reception desk. They have a variety of basic supplies available, such as pens, paper, sticky notes, and other necessities. If you need something specific that is not readily available, the reception staff can assist you in ordering it or directing you to the appropriate resource within the institute. Do not hesitate to stop by if you need any help!

Fellows staying longer than 3 months, will have their own mailbox for your mail (room 00 019 – to the left of the main entrance).

For a FRIAS stay of 3 months or less, you will receive your mail via the Fellow Support Team (room 01 018/019 on the first floor).

For outgoing mail, please have your envelopes and packages stamped by our colleagues at the reception.

We offer support for the collection of library books and literature research material for international Fellows. Please send your requests to literature@frias.uni-freiburg.de and our colleague Roland Muntschick will take care of ordering, collecting and delivering the books. Depending on the time required, he is also available for thematic literature research, more extensive archiving work, reviewing, proofreading, etc., of papers, or to perform minor research tasks.

As a UniCard holder you have daily access to the university library from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (last entry at 11:30 pm). In addition, there are a number of departmental libraries you may use.

Books bought through the Fellow’s research budget remain the property of the State of Baden-Württemberg and will be given to the University Library upon completion of the Fellowship. In order to register these books in the library catalogue, please bring them to the Fellow Support Team upon purchase as well as at the end of your Fellowship.

If you plan to organise a lecture or a course, a workshop, book launch or conference at FRIAS during your fellowship period, please contact the Event Team in their office (ground floor, room 00 005)

Unfortunately, you are not permitted to use your fellowship budget after your stay concludes. The funding allocated to you is specifically designated for expenses incurred during your research period at FRIAS. Any unspent funds or budget allocations cannot be carried over or used for future projects or activities once your fellowship has ended. We encourage you to plan your budget accordingly to ensure that you make the most of the resources available to you while at FRIAS.

Fellows with a university contract will be able to load money onto their UniCard at the information desk in the Mensa and use this to pay for meals, coffee and snacks. All other fellows can get a Mensa card by making a deposit of 7 euros.

Please note that the coffee in the FRIAS lounge is complimentary for all fellows, providing a perfect opportunity to relax and recharge!

FRIAS provides German courses through the university’s Language Institute, SLI. You can receive an 80% subsidy for your first course. For further details and assistance, please reach out to Fellow Support.

If you require assistance or have specific accessibility needs, please reach out to our Fellow Support Team in advance so we can make the necessary accommodations and ensure a comfortable experience for you. Please note that there is no elevator in the building.

Fellows are responsible for making their own housing payments, after which they can submit their expenses for reimbursement. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Fellow Support.

Please keep all relevant documents (boarding passes, train tickets, hotel bills etc.) and hand them over to your contact person upon your arrival or before your departure. Additionally, once you return home after your fellowship, remember to send us any remaining receipts along with the completed and signed form P875 available from the Fellow Support Team.

Once we at FRIAS have gathered all your tickets and forms, we will summarize your trip in a travel overview before submitting them to the university travel office for processing. Please note that the reimbursement process may take 6-8 weeks. Please submit all receipts within 6 months of departure, otherwise, they will not be considered.

Yes, you are always welcome to apply for an Alumni Stay. The program allows visits of two to six uninterrupted weeks.

To apply for funding through the program, please submit a brief project description (title and abstract, max 1500 characters) along with estimates for accommodation and travel costs. Additionally, attach a current CV and publication list and include a proposed schedule for your time at FRIAS with two preferred dates. Please note that most activities occur from October to July.

In order to apply for funding through the program, please visit the Alumni Program page for detailed information or contact Gabriel Hugoniot directly.