Welcoming Researchers from across the Globe

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) has secured 2.4 million euros in funding for COFUND fellowships from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program for the period 2018 to 2022.

The European Commission created this funding program as a means of increasing mobility for researchers in Europe by awarding fellowships. Research centers or institutes for advanced studies (IAS) with an international and interdisciplinary orientation are especially well suited for achieving this aim.

FRIAS already submitted a convincing application in the competition for the first round of the program from 2014 to 2018, enabling it to strengthen its international fellowship program FCFP with European funding. As strong new institutes for advanced studies have been established in the meantime, it was by no means a foregone conclusion that FRIAS would be successful again:

The success rate for applications to the COFUND program in the second round was hardly more than 20 percent. Rector Prof. Dr. Hans-Jochen Schiewer underlines the significance this achievement has for the entire university: “The FRIAS plays a key role in enhancing the University of Freiburg’s international visibility. The continuation of the FCFP will now make Freiburg even more attractive as a center for research.”

Executive Director Prof. Dr. Bernd Kortmann highlights the possibilities the international fellowship program opens up for FRIAS. “We have built up a wealth of competence and professionalism in supporting top-drawer established scholars and junior researchers from around the world over the years, and this is also visible from outside,” he explains.

“For their part, these fellows serve as a source of inspiration to the university and to the city as a whole with their research partnerships, their talks in university courses and lecture series, and their public lectures. Strengthened by the European Union’s positive decision on continued funding, we now aim to concentrate particularly on enhancing our profile with regard to equal opportunity.”

Administrative Director Dr. Carsten Dose sees the funding extension as the result of a team effort: “This is a great achievement for the entire institute and recognition for the work we have conducted in the past years,” he stresses. “We are pleased to be able to continue welcoming outstanding scholars from across the globe to FRIAS and helping them make their stay here productive.”

More information on the FCFP
http://www.frias.uni-freiburg.de/de/foerderprogramme/cofund

Contact:
Dr. Carsten Dose
Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS)
University of Freiburg
Phone: +49 (0)761/203-97404
E-Mail: carsten.dose@frias.uni-freiburg.de

http://www.pr.uni-freiburg.de/pm/2017/pm.2017-02-08.18-en