Three Funded Research Fellowships in Germany. One Deadline. Which One Are You?
The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies doesn’t run a single fellowship competition. It runs three — each designed for a different stage of a research career, each with distinct eligibility requirements, and all closing on the same date.
September 18, 2026.
Before doing anything else, the most useful thing a prospective applicant can do is figure out which track actually applies to them. Applying to the wrong program wastes a strong application. And with publication requirements, international experience thresholds, and — for one track — a mandatory partner letter from a Freiburg academic, preparation time matters more here than most fellowship competitions.
The Three Programs at a Glance
| Program | Career Stage | Duration | Open To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Career Fellowship | Up to 8 years post-PhD | 4–10 months | All nationalities |
| Senior Fellowship | 8+ years post-PhD | 3–8 months | All nationalities |
| Sustainable Governance Fellowship | 8+ years post-PhD | 6 months | Africa-based researchers only |
All three fellowships take place in Freiburg, Germany between September 2026 and August 2027. You may also like Umeå University IceLab Postdoctoral Scholarships 2027 (Sweden).
What Fellows Receive
The benefits structure is consistent across all three tracks.
Selected fellows receive either a fellowship contract with the University of Freiburg or an alternative compensation arrangement, depending on individual circumstances. The package includes:
- A monthly living allowance
- A research and travel allowance covering inbound and outbound travel costs
- Office space on campus
- Access to the University of Freiburg’s campus library
- Research support for the duration of the fellowship
Fellows work on their own research projects within FRIAS’s interdisciplinary community, which brings together scholars from Germany and around the world across different academic disciplines.
Track 1: Early Career Fellowship
For researchers up to eight years post-PhD
This track is built for researchers who have established an independent publication record and are ready to pursue an ambitious project in a new international environment.
Eligibility requirements:
- Completed doctoral degree with a maximum of 8 years post-doctoral experience
- At least 4 peer-reviewed publications since 1 January 2022
- Minimum 6 months of research or study experience at an academic institution in a different country from where you completed your first degree
- A challenging, innovative research project that can be supported at the University of Freiburg
- Open to researchers from any discipline and any nationality
The six-month international experience requirement applies here as it does across all three tracks. If you completed your PhD in one country and have spent at least six months researching or studying at an institution in another, you meet this threshold.
Duration: 4 to 10 months
Track 2: Senior Fellowship
For researchers with eight or more years post-PhD
The Senior Fellowship sets a higher bar across every eligibility criterion — more publications, stricter quality standards, and the same international mobility requirement.
Eligibility requirements:
- Completed doctoral degree with at least 8 years post-doctoral experience
- At least 10 peer-reviewed publications since 1 January 2020
- Minimum 6 months of research or study experience at an academic institution in a different country from where you completed your first degree
- A research project of top academic quality that can be supported at the University of Freiburg
- Open to researchers from any discipline and any nationality
The publication requirement here is notably demanding: 10 peer-reviewed publications within the last six years. Senior researchers should verify their publication count against the January 2020 cutoff before investing time in this application.
Duration: 3 to 8 months
Track 3: Sustainable Governance Fellowship for Researchers from Africa
The most specialized — and most time-sensitive — track
This fellowship exists specifically for experienced researchers based in Africa, working in humanities or social sciences with a focus on sustainable governance. It carries the most distinctive eligibility requirements of the three tracks.
Eligibility requirements:
- Completed doctoral degree with at least 8 years post-doctoral experience
- At least 5 peer-reviewed publications since 1 January 2017, including at least one as a co-author
- Currently based in an African country
- Must have received a Master’s or PhD degree from an African institution
- Minimum 6 months of research or study experience at an academic institution in a different country
- Research focus must be in humanities or social sciences, specifically on sustainable governance
- A letter of cooperation from an academic partner at the University of Freiburg is mandatory
That final requirement deserves its own attention.
Securing a letter of cooperation from a Freiburg faculty member takes time. It requires identifying the right academic partner, making contact, explaining your research project, and waiting for a formal response. With the deadline on September 18, 2026, researchers interested in this track should begin reaching out to potential Freiburg partners immediately — not after they’ve finished writing the proposal.
Duration: 6 months (fixed)
Eligibility Side-by-Side
| Requirement | Early Career | Senior | Africa Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-PhD experience | Maximum 8 years | Minimum 8 years | Minimum 8 years |
| Publications required | 4 (since Jan 2022) | 10 (since Jan 2020) | 5 (since Jan 2017) |
| Co-authorship required | No | No | Yes (at least 1) |
| International experience | 6 months minimum | 6 months minimum | 6 months minimum |
| Nationality | Any | Any | Africa-based only |
| Degree from Africa required | No | No | Yes |
| Partner letter from Freiburg | No | No | Yes (mandatory) |
| Subject restriction | Any discipline | Any discipline | Humanities/Social Sciences only |
How to Apply for FRIAS Fellowship 2027
The application process is identical across all three tracks.
- Complete and submit the initial application form
- Register and continue with the additional sections
- Upload all required documents
- Complete the ethical issues questionnaire
- Submit the final application
Documents required for all three tracks:
- Project proposal
- CV in tabular form
- Publication list
- Copy of PhD diploma
- Letter of support identifying a host at the University of Freiburg
- Experiment sketch and timetable
Note for the Africa track only: Replace the standard letter of support with a Letter of Cooperation from an academic partner at the University of Freiburg. This is a more formal document requiring active engagement with a Freiburg faculty member.
Official Link
Before You Start Writing the Proposal
A few things worth checking before committing time to an application:
Count your publications against the correct cutoff date. Each track uses a different reference year: January 2022 for Early Career, January 2020 for Senior, and January 2017 for the Africa track. Publications before these dates do not count toward the minimum threshold.
Verify your international experience. The six-month requirement at a foreign institution applies across all three tracks. Time spent at conferences or short research visits typically doesn’t qualify. It should be a sustained research or study period at a recognized academic institution in a different country from where you took your first degree.
Identify your Freiburg host early. All three tracks require either a letter of support or a letter of cooperation from someone at the University of Freiburg. This means having a real academic contact at the institution before submitting. Cold emailing a professor the week before the deadline is unlikely to produce a usable letter in time.
Key Takeaways
- FRIAS offers three fully funded fellowship tracks for the 2026/2027 academic year in Freiburg, Germany. All share a single deadline: 18 September 2026.
- The Early Career Fellowship is for researchers up to 8 years post-PhD, requiring 4 publications since January 2022. Duration is 4 to 10 months.
- The Senior Fellowship requires at least 8 years post-PhD and 10 publications since January 2020. Duration is 3 to 8 months.
- The Sustainable Governance Fellowship is exclusively for Africa-based researchers with humanities or social science backgrounds focused on sustainable governance. It requires a mandatory letter of cooperation from a Freiburg academic partner.
- All three tracks require a minimum of 6 months of international research or study experience at an institution in a different country from where you completed your first degree.
- Benefits across all tracks include a monthly living allowance, research and travel allowance, office space, and library access.
- The Africa track letter of cooperation takes time to arrange. Start contacting potential Freiburg partners now.
- All applications go through the FRIAS online application system. Check the official FRIAS portal for the current application links and program documentation.