FRIAS Fellowship Programmes at University of Freiburg, Germany.

Applications are now open for the FRIAS Fellowship Programmes 2027/28 at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Freiburg, Germany.These residential research fellowships support early career and senior researchers from all nationalities and almost every academic discipline that the University of Freiburg can host. One dedicated programme is reserved for researchers based at African institutions working in the humanities and social sciences with a focus on sustainable governance.

The application deadline is 18 September 2026 at 13:00 CET. Fellowships run between 1 September 2027 and 31 August 2028 and last from three to ten months depending on the programme. Successful fellows receive a full employment contract or mobility allowance, research cost contribution, and travel reimbursement, making the programmes fully funded for the duration of the stay. There is no application fee. You can check out more Internships, BS, MS, PhD and postdoc positions here.

Key Details:

• Degree Level: Postdoctoral research fellowship
• Host Country: Germany
• Host Institution: Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), University of Freiburg
• Application Deadline: 18 September 2026, 13:00 CET
• Fellowship Period: 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2028
• Open to: All nationalities
• Application Fee: None

FRIAS Fellowship Programmes:

FRIAS Early Career Fellowship Programme:

Who can apply:

• Researchers who hold a completed PhD and have a maximum of eight years of post doctoral experience at the time of application
• At least six months of research or study experience at academic institutions in a country different from the country of the first academic degree
• Minimum of four peer reviewed publications since 1 January 2022
• Research project that can be supported at the University of Freiburg
• Experimental scientists must identify a host laboratory in Freiburg and submit a letter of support plus an experiment sketch and timetable

Time spent on family, medical, or non academic reasons does not count toward the eight year limit. There is no age limit, but achievements should match academic age. The project must have international relevance and must not involve excluded ethical topics.

Duration

• 4 to 10 months

What you receive:

• Full time employment contract with the University of Freiburg (approximately €5,300 per month before tax and social security) or teaching replacement reimbursement if you keep a home institution contract
• Research cost contribution
• Travel costs for the journey to and from Freiburg (if applicable)
• Fully furnished office space

Required application materials (all in English and PDF)

• Online form entries: abstract, layman’s abstract, ethical issues table, motivation statement, and contact details of two evaluators
• Project proposal (maximum 3,000 words including everything, maximum 4 graphs) with this exact structure:

1. Research field, title, and short abstract
2. Aims, theoretical framework, and methodology
3. Work plan and feasibility
4. Innovative potential, originality, and relevance
5. Issues concerning research ethics
6. Bibliographical references • CV in tabular form (maximum 2 pages, mandatory template) • Publication list (maximum 8 publications total; at least 4 must be peer reviewed and published after 1 January 2022, mandatory template) • Copy of PhD diploma (official translation required if not in Latin script) • Letter of support and experiment sketch (experimental scientists only)

Evaluators must know you personally, must not be current collaborators or supervisors, and must not work at the same institution. FRIAS contacts them after the basic eligibility check. Their statements are due by 9 October 2026.

Selection process

1. Formal eligibility and basic quality check
2. International peer review (academic excellence 40 percent, project excellence 40 percent, experience and capability 20 percent)
3. Final ranking by the Scientific Advisory Board

Expected success rate is about 5 percent of eligible applications.

Also Check: PhD, Postdoc & Professor positions at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

FRIAS Senior Fellowship Programme

Who can apply

• Researchers who hold a completed PhD and have a minimum of eight years of post doctoral experience
• At least six months of research or study experience at academic institutions in a country different from the country of the first academic degree
• Minimum of ten peer reviewed publications since 1 January 2020
• Research project that can be supported at the University of Freiburg
• Experimental scientists must identify a host laboratory and submit a letter of support plus an experiment sketch and timetable

The same rules on international experience, ethical exclusions, and residential presence apply.

Duration

• 3 to 8 months

What you receive

• Mobility allowance (if you keep a home institution contract) plus possible teaching replacement reimbursement up to W2 level
• Or an attractive W2 salary (100 percent) if you have no other income
• Research cost contribution
• Travel costs for the journey to and from Freiburg (if applicable) • Fully furnished office space

Required application materials (all in English and PDF)

• Online form entries: abstract, layman’s abstract, ethical issues table, motivation statement, and list of previously received grants
• Project proposal (maximum 3,000 words including everything, maximum 4 graphs) with the same six point structure as the Early Career programme
• CV in tabular form (maximum 2 pages, mandatory template)
• Publication list (maximum 15 publications total; at least 10 must be peer reviewed and published after 1 January 2020, mandatory template)
• Copy of PhD diploma (official translation required if not in Latin script) • Letter of support and experiment sketch (experimental scientists only)

Selection process Identical three step process and roughly 5 percent success rate as the Early Career programme.

Also Check: Technical University of Denmark PhD and Postdoc Scholarships 2026 (Fully Funded)

FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme for Researchers from Africa

Who can apply

• Researchers of any nationality who are based at an African institution
• Completed PhD plus a minimum of eight years of post doctoral experience
• At least six months of research or study experience in a country different from the country of the first academic degree and a Master or PhD earned in an African country
• Minimum of five peer reviewed publications since 1 January 2017 (at least one as co author)
• Project in the Humanities or Social Sciences with a clear thematic focus on sustainable governance Letter of cooperation from a professor at the University of Freiburg who will support the project

Duration

• 6 months

What you receive

Required application materials

• Online form entries: abstract, layman’s abstract, ethical issues table, motivation statement
• Project proposal (maximum 3,000 words, same structure)
• CV in tabular form (maximum 2 pages, mandatory template)
• Publication list (maximum 8 publications total; at least 5 peer reviewed after 1 January 2017 including one co authored, mandatory template)
• Copy of PhD diploma
• Letter of cooperation from a University of Freiburg professor

Expected success rate is about 10 percent of eligible applications.

Also Check: Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship (DUPR) Australia

Important shared rules for all programmes:

• Use of generative AI that affects content must be disclosed (model, purpose, and extent). Grammar or translation tools do not need disclosure.
• All documents must stay within stated word and page limits.
• Projects of open or concluding nature are welcome.
• Short conference or archive visits are possible with directorate approval.
• Support for fellows with families (accommodation search and childcare information) is available.
• Ethical issues are screened at every stage. Certain research areas involving human cloning, heritable genetic modification, or embryo creation are excluded.

Also Check: PhD, Postdoc & Professor positions at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

How to Apply:

• Applications are accepted exclusively through the official online application portal
• Register and complete the online form (abstract, layman’s abstract, ethical issues table, motivation statement)
• Upload all required PDF documents
• Mandatory templates for the CV and publication list are available inside the portal
• Provide contact details for two evaluators (Early Career only) or a list of previous grants (Senior) Experimental scientists and Africa programme applicants must include the additional support letters Submit the complete application before 18 September 2026 at 13:00 CET
• After submission you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt

Also Check: Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship (DUPR) Australia