Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) is the international research college of the University of Freiburg in Freiburg, Germany. The institute was initially part of the university's proposal for funding in the Excellence Initiative in 2007, an initiative by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation with the aim of promoting both cutting-edge research and enhancing the international success of German higher education institutions.

After the University of Freiburg had been chosen as one of nine Universities of Excellence, FRIAS officially took up operations on April 1, 2008. It aims to promote high-level research, develop interdisciplinary research fields, and assist young researchers in their development. FRIAS is loosely modeled after other similar institutions, such as the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, whose director Prof. Dr. Peter Goddard held the inaugural address at the official presentation of FRIAS in May, 2008 at the University of Freiburg. The University of Freiburg has applied for FRIAS’s funding to be continued in the second round of the Excellence Initiative.

A new institution in the German higher education and research landscape, FRIAS invites renowned researchers from German and international institutions to conduct their research in Freiburg, while aiming to give its researchers extensive freedoms to pursue projects of their choice with minimal bureaucracy. As a haven and center for academic research, FRIAS wishes to promote new synergies among its fellows and give new impulses to the University of Freiburg. FRIAS pursues the following objectives:

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies consisted 2008-2013 of four schools (School of History, School of Language and Literature, School of Life Sciences - LIFENET, School of Soft Matter Research), which mirror important research areas at the University of Freiburg. Since 2013 they are replaced with an open structure for all academic disciplines. With the beginning of the academic year 2014/2015, FRIAS will also concentrate on yearly two research foci.

...
Wikipedia