FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme

📖 About FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) invites researchers based in an African country with a completed doctoral degree and a minimum of eight years of post-doctoral experience to apply for the FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme 2026/27.

The fellowships are available to researchers from any nationality based in African institutions. The programme offers access to the resources, networks, and academic community of the University of Freiburg, enhancing research through new perspectives and collaborative opportunities.

About the University of Freiburg

Founded in 1457, the University of Freiburg is one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Germany. It boasts:

• Eleven faculties
• Around 240 degree programmes
• 440 full professorships and 32 junior professorships

The university regularly ranks among the top institutions in prestigious academic rankings.

About FRIAS

FRIAS is the international research college of the University of Freiburg. It brings together scholars from Freiburg and around the world, offering temporary fellowships that allow researchers to focus entirely on their projects within a vibrant community of diverse cultural and academic backgrounds. FRIAS provides exceptional support to help fellows succeed.

For the academic year 2026/27, FRIAS is offering individual Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowships for Researchers from Africa.

📅 Opportunity Details

• Date Published: July 26, 2025
• Application Deadline: September 12, 2025
• Category: Fellowship
• Opportunity Location: Germany
• Eligible Locations: Africa

🎁 Benefits

Successful applicants will become FRIAS Fellows with all corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period.

• Fellows with an employment contract at their home institution will receive a mobility allowance (if applicable) to compensate for extra costs during their stay in Freiburg.
• Teaching replacement costs throughout the fellowship will be reimbursed up to the level of a W2 professorship.
• Fellows without an employment contract at their home institution will receive an attractive salary (W2, 100%).
• Each Fellow will additionally receive:
  • Research cost contribution
  • Travel cost reimbursement for inbound and outbound journeys (if applicable).

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• Fellowships are available to researchers from any nationality based in an African institution.
• Fellowships can last for 6 months between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027.
• Depending on their situation, selected applicants will either receive a fellowship contract with the University of Freiburg or other compensation.
• Fellows will receive:
  • Research cost contribution
  • Mobility allowance
  • Travel cost reimbursement for inbound and outbound journeys.
• Fellowships will allow researchers to conduct their own research projects.
• Full-time presence at FRIAS is mandatory to foster cross-disciplinary communication.

🎯 Selection Criteria

• Applicants must hold a completed doctoral degree plus a minimum of eight years of post-doctoral experience.
• Applicants must have 5 peer-reviewed publications since January 1, 2016, including at least one with or as a co-author.
• Applicants must be based in an African country.
• Applicants must have at least six months’ research or study experience at academic institutions in a country different from the country of their first academic degree by the time of application.
• Applicants must have received a Master/PhD in an African country.
• Fellowships will be awarded to individuals with challenging and innovative research projects of top academic quality through a highly competitive, strictly merit-based selection process (expected success rate: ~10% of eligible applications).
• Only applications from disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences with a thematic focus on sustainable governance will be considered.
• A letter of cooperation by an academic partner at the University of Freiburg is required.

📝 Application Process

Candidates must fill out the online application form with information about:

• Candidate and project details (abstract, layman’s abstract, motivation statement, ethical issue table).

Required Attachments:

1. Project proposal (max. 3000 words, including footnotes, headers, footers, bibliographical references, and up to 4 graphs) (PDF).
2. CV in tabular form (PDF, mandatory template available in the application portal).
3. Publication list (PDF): Applicants must provide a list of publications (max. 8 publications). Five of these must be peer-reviewed and published after January 1, 2016, including at least one with or as a co-author.
4. Copy of the PhD diploma (PDF).
5. Letter of Cooperation by an academic partner at the University of Freiburg who will support the project during the stay in Freiburg. The academic partner must hold the title of a professor.

For further information, consult the Application Manual.

📅 Application Deadline

September 12, 2025

🌐 Additional Information

For more details, visit the FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme page.

To apply, access the Application Portal.

• Successful applicants will become FRIAS Fellows with all the corresponding rights and obligations for the requested funding period.
• Mobility allowance for fellows with an employment contract at their home institution.
• Reimbursement of teaching replacement costs throughout the fellowship up to the level of a W2 professorship.
• Attractive salary (W2, 100%) for fellows without an employment contract at their home institution.
• Research cost contribution and reimbursement for travel costs of the inbound and outbound journey (if applicable).