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.

Call for Applications

Join our FRIAS Fellowship Programmes 2026/27

FRIAS invites excellent researchers from all disciplines and nationalities to apply for its fellowship programmes. The institute offers funding opportunities for Early Career and Senior Researchers from all countries – as well as for Senior Researchers based at institutions in Africa.

Human Rights Research Consortium

“Science no longer works without Courage and Fearlessness”

The fourth annual conference of the Connecticut / Baden-Württemberg Human Rights Research Consortium (HRRC) at FRIAS showed how interdisciplinary research into human rights contributes to democratic, equal-opportunity and inclusive societies. But it also demonstrated that the restrictions on academic freedom in the U.S. are also approaching Europe.

Abdulrazak Gurnah holding the Staudinger Lecture in the Aula University of Freiburg

Hermann Staudinger Lecture

Abdulrazak Gurnah: Living Together

On 24 June, Abdulrazak Gurnah, recipient of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature delivered the 32nd Hermann Staudinger Lecture at the University of Freiburg. His talk reflected on understandings of “togetherness.” The video recording is online.

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

Balzan-FRIAS Lecture

Writing Global History after Eurocentrism: Concepts and Narratives

25 July 2025, 16:15-18:00
Sebastian Conrad, Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut (Freie Universität Berlin)
FRIAS seminar room

News & Media

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

All news

Human Rights Research

“Science no longer works without Courage and Fearlessness”

Jürgen Osterhammel receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Freiburg

Press Release

Ehrendoktor für Historiker Prof. Dr. Jürgen Osterhammel

Die Universität Freiburg hat Prof. Dr. Jürgen Osterhammel mit der Ehrendoktorwürde ausgezeichnet. Der Historiker ist ein führender Vertreter globaler Perspektiven in der zeitgenössischen Geschichtsschreibung und hat diese wesentlich mitgeprägt. Ein Schwerpunkt seiner Arbeit ist die Auseinandersetzung mit der Geschichte Chinas.

FRIAS Direktor von den Hoff und ein Fellow unterhalten sich im Rahmen des AvH-Netzwerktreffens

Press Release

FRIAS stärkt Netzwerk mit Alexander von Humboldt-Stipendiat:innen

Am 4. Juni 2025 fand am FRIAS das erste Netzwerktreffen mit Stipendiat:innen der Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung und ihren Gastgeber:innen statt. Im Mittelpunkt standen der interdisziplinäre Austausch und die aktive Einbindung der Fellows in das akademische Leben des Instituts. Weitere Treffen sind geplant.

Short News

Philipp Kellmeyer (Senior Fellow 2019-21) hat der Badischen Zeitung ein Interview zum Thema KI gegeben. “Wir erleben den größten technologischen Feldversuch in der Geschichte der Menschheit,” sagt der KI-Experte.

Elmira Akhmetova’s (Alexander von Humboldt Fellow 2021-23) book “Muslim Women in Science, Past and Present” was published in February by Cambridge University Press.

Felicitas Opwis (FRESCO Fellow 2021-25) published a book called “Ethics and Legal Analogy (Qiyas) in 5th/11th Century Legal Theory“. Since January, she has also been appointed “Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Professor of Arabic Language and Culture” at Georgetown University.

Interested in our Funding Programmes?

Learn more about what we have to offer.

Funding Finder