Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) was founded at the University of Freiburg in Freiburg, Germany, in 2008. 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 inhacing 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, in fact, held the ignaugural address at the official presentation of FRIAS in May, 2008 at the University of Freiburg.

Aim

FRIAS will invite renowned researchers from German and international institutions to conduct their research in Freiburg. FRIAS aims 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.

Structure

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies currently consists of four schools:

• School of History
• School of Language and Literature
• School of Life Sciences - LIFENET
• School of Soft Matter Research

See also

• University of Freiburg
• Freiburg im Breisgau

External links

• Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
• Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg