FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme 2027/28 for African Researchers in Germany

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) at the University of Freiburg, Germany, is inviting applications for the Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme for Researchers from Africa 2027/28. The programme is designed for experienced researchers who are based at academic or research institutions in Africa and are working in the Humanities and Social Sciences on research related to sustainable governance.

The fellowship provides an opportunity for established African researchers to spend six months at the University of Freiburg, where they can concentrate fully on an independent research project while becoming part of an international and interdisciplinary academic community.

The programme is particularly suited to researchers who want to strengthen their research through international collaboration, develop new academic perspectives, establish connections with scholars in Germany and beyond, and contribute to debates surrounding sustainable governance.

Opportunity Overview

• Programme: FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme for Researchers from Africa
• Academic year: 2027/28
• Host institution: Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), University of Freiburg
• Location: Freiburg, Germany
• Duration: 6 months
• Fellowship period: Between 1 September 2027 and 31 August 2028
• Application deadline: 18 September 2026 at 13:00 CET
• Target applicants: Experienced researchers based in African countries
• Academic level: Researchers with a completed doctoral degree and at least eight years of post-doctoral experience
• Eligible disciplines: Humanities and Social Sciences
• Research focus: Sustainable governance
• Selection: Highly competitive and strictly merit-based
• Expected success rate: Approximately 10% of eligible applications

About the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies

The Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) is the international research college of the University of Freiburg. It brings together researchers from Freiburg and institutions around the world through temporary fellowships that enable scholars to focus intensively on their research.

FRIAS provides an interdisciplinary environment in which researchers from different academic backgrounds and cultural contexts can exchange ideas, develop collaborations and explore new approaches to complex research questions.

For the 2027/28 academic year, FRIAS is offering individual Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowships specifically for researchers from Africa.

The programme builds on the broader academic strength of the University of Freiburg, which was founded in 1457 and offers a wide range of disciplines through its faculties, degree programmes and research structures.

What the FRIAS Sustainable Governance Fellowship Offers

Successful fellows will have the opportunity to spend six months at FRIAS in Freiburg and devote themselves to their approved research project.

The programme offers several forms of academic and financial support.

1. Six-Month Research Fellowship

The fellowship can last for six months during the period from 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2028.

This gives researchers substantial uninterrupted time to develop their research without the normal demands of their home institution.

2. International Academic Environment

Fellows become part of the FRIAS research community, which brings together scholars from different countries and academic disciplines.

This environment can expose researchers to:

• New research perspectives
• International academic networks
• Interdisciplinary discussions
• Potential research collaborations
• Academic exchange with researchers at the University of Freiburg
• Opportunities to develop future collaborative projects

3. Support for Research Costs

Selected fellows receive a research cost contribution, helping support eligible research-related expenses associated with the fellowship.

4. Travel Support

The programme also provides travel costs for the inbound and outbound journey, helping successful fellows travel to and from Freiburg for their fellowship.

5. Fellowship Contract or Other Compensation

Depending on the individual circumstances of the selected researcher, FRIAS states that fellows will either receive a fellowship contract with the University of Freiburg or another form of compensation.

Applicants are advised to consult the official application manual for the detailed financial arrangements and conditions that apply to their circumstances.

6. Opportunity to Focus on an Independent Research Project

The fellowship allows researchers to conduct their own research projects in Freiburg.

Rather than being recruited simply to work on an existing institutional project, fellows are expected to develop and pursue a challenging, innovative and academically strong research project that fits the programme’s sustainable governance theme.

Important Requirement: Full-Time Presence in Freiburg

One of the key conditions of the programme is that fellows must maintain full-time presence at FRIAS during the fellowship.

This requirement reflects the institute’s emphasis on academic interaction and interdisciplinary communication.

Researchers should therefore be prepared to spend the fellowship period in Freiburg rather than treating the fellowship as a primarily remote research opportunity.

Applicants should also note that fieldwork conducted outside Freiburg cannot be funded during the fellowship period.

Who Can Apply for the FRIAS Senior Fellowship?

The programme is aimed at established researchers who meet a combination of academic, professional, geographic and research requirements.

Applicants must satisfy the eligibility conditions before submitting an application.

Completed Doctoral Degree

Applicants must have a completed doctoral degree.

The fellowship is therefore intended for experienced researchers rather than doctoral students or early-stage researchers who have not yet completed their PhD.

Minimum Eight Years of Post-Doctoral Experience

Applicants must have at least eight years of post-doctoral experience.

This makes the programme particularly relevant to established academics and researchers who have already developed a substantial research career after obtaining their doctorate.

Based in an African Country

Applicants must be based in an African country at the time of application.

Importantly, the programme does not restrict eligibility to African nationals. Researchers of any nationality may apply provided they are based at an institution in an African country and satisfy the other requirements.

Research or Study Experience Outside the Country of First Academic Degree

Applicants must have completed at least six months of research or study at an academic institution in a country different from the country where they obtained their first academic degree by the time of application.

In addition, applicants must have received their Master’s or PhD degree in an African country.

These requirements demonstrate the programme’s emphasis on international academic experience and researchers who have developed cross-border academic perspectives.

Publication Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate a strong academic publication record.

The eligibility requirements specify that applicants must have:

• At least five peer-reviewed publications since 1 January 2017
• At least one of those publications must have been written with or as a co-author
• A publication list containing no more than eight publications in total must be submitted

The five qualifying publications must therefore be peer-reviewed and published after 1 January 2017.

Applicants should carefully select the publications that best demonstrate the quality, relevance and development of their research career.

Eligible Academic Disciplines

The fellowship is specifically intended for researchers working in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

However, being in one of these broad disciplinary areas is not sufficient on its own.

The proposed research must also have a thematic focus on sustainable governance.

Researchers should therefore ensure that their proposed project clearly demonstrates how it contributes to understanding, analysing or improving issues connected with sustainable governance.

Research Project Expectations

The selection process is highly competitive. FRIAS states that fellowships will be awarded to individuals proposing challenging and innovative research projects of top academic quality.

A strong proposal should therefore demonstrate:

1. A clearly defined research problem.
2. Academic significance.
3. Originality and innovation.
4. A convincing research methodology.
5. A clear connection to sustainable governance.
6. Strong potential for scholarly contribution.
7. Feasibility within the six-month fellowship period.
8. The potential to benefit from the academic environment at the University of Freiburg.
9. Opportunities for meaningful interdisciplinary exchange.
10. A clear explanation of why the fellowship at FRIAS is important for the proposed research.

Because the selection process is strictly merit-based, meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee selection.

FRIAS expects the success rate to be approximately 10% of eligible applications, meaning applicants should prepare their proposals carefully and demonstrate a strong academic case for selection.

University of Freiburg Academic Cooperation Requirement

A particularly important requirement is that applicants must obtain a Letter of Cooperation from an academic partner at the University of Freiburg.

The academic partner must:

• Be based at the University of Freiburg
• Hold the title of professor
• Be willing to support the applicant’s research project during the researcher’s stay in Freiburg

This means applicants should not wait until the final stages of the application process to consider this requirement.

Researchers should identify an appropriate professor whose academic interests align with their proposed project and establish meaningful academic contact before submitting the application.

The cooperation letter is an important component of the application and should demonstrate genuine academic engagement with the proposed research.

Application Requirements

Applicants must complete information about themselves and their proposed project through the online application form.

The application form requires information including:

• Candidate information
• Research project abstract
• Layman’s abstract
• Ethical issue table
• Motivation statement

Layman’s Abstract

The layman’s abstract is particularly important because it requires applicants to communicate their research project to a general public audience.

Instead of relying heavily on technical terminology, applicants should explain:

• What the research is about
• Why the problem matters
• What the researcher intends to investigate
• Why the research is relevant
• What potential contribution the project could make

The explanation should be understandable to readers who may not be specialists in the applicant’s field.

Documents to Upload

In addition to the information entered into the online application form, applicants must upload several supporting documents.

1. Project Proposal

Applicants must submit a project proposal of no more than 3,000 words.

The word limit includes:

• Footnotes
• Headers
• Footers
• Bibliographical references

The proposal must be submitted as a PDF and must follow the mandatory structure specified in the application manual.

The application information also indicates that the proposal should include four graphs.

Applicants should therefore follow the prescribed format carefully rather than creating an entirely different proposal structure.

2. Curriculum Vitae

A tabular CV must be submitted in PDF format.

Applicants are required to use the mandatory template available through the application portal.

The CV should clearly demonstrate the applicant’s academic career, research experience, qualifications, publications and other relevant professional achievements.

3. Publication List

Applicants must provide a publication list in PDF format.

The list may contain a maximum of eight publications.

Of those publications:

• At least five must have been published after 1 January 2017.
• Those five publications must be peer-reviewed.
• At least one must have been written with or as a co-author.

The mandatory publication-list template is available in the application portal.

4. PhD Diploma

Applicants must upload a copy of their PhD diploma in PDF format.

This document is required to demonstrate completion of the doctoral qualification.

5. Letter of Cooperation

Applicants must upload a Letter of Cooperation from an academic partner at the University of Freiburg.

The academic partner must be a professor and must support the proposed project during the applicant’s stay in Freiburg.

This requirement is central to the fellowship because FRIAS seeks to foster interaction between fellows and the academic community at the University of Freiburg.

Application Deadline

The deadline for submitting applications is:

18 September 2026 at 13:00 CET

Applicants should not wait until the final hours to submit their application. Given the number of required documents and the requirement to establish cooperation with a University of Freiburg professor, preparation should begin well before the deadline.

Researchers should also verify the current application portal instructions and application manual before submission in case of any procedural updates.

Fellowship Period

The fellowship is available for a six-month period between:

1 September 2027 and 31 August 2028

Applicants should be prepared to identify a suitable six-month period within this broader fellowship year, subject to the programme’s conditions and final arrangements.

How the Selection Process Works

The FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship is highly competitive.

Applications are expected to be assessed on academic merit and the quality of the proposed research project.

The programme specifically seeks researchers with:

• Strong academic records
• Substantial post-doctoral experience
• High-quality peer-reviewed publications
• Innovative research ideas
• Challenging research questions
• Strong potential for interdisciplinary engagement
• Research projects aligned with sustainable governance
• Appropriate academic cooperation at the University of Freiburg

With an expected success rate of approximately 10% of eligible applications, applicants should treat the proposal as a competitive academic research application rather than simply a funding request.

How to Strengthen Your Application

Applicants can improve the quality of their submission by paying attention to several important areas.

1. Develop a Strong Research Question

Your project should begin with a clearly defined and academically significant research question.

Avoid proposals that are too broad to be realistically addressed within six months.

2. Demonstrate Originality

Explain what is new about your research.

A competitive proposal should make it clear how the project will add to existing academic knowledge.

3. Connect the Project to Sustainable Governance

The sustainable governance connection should be explicit.

Applicants should demonstrate how their research addresses important governance challenges and why the topic is relevant to contemporary academic and societal debates.

4. Use the Interdisciplinary Environment

Explain why conducting the research at FRIAS and interacting with researchers from other disciplines would strengthen the project.

5. Identify the Right University of Freiburg Professor

The cooperation letter is mandatory, so applicants should identify a professor whose expertise is genuinely relevant to their project.

A meaningful academic connection is likely to make the application more convincing than a purely formal relationship.

6. Follow the Required Templates

FRIAS provides mandatory templates for documents such as the CV and publication list.

Applicants should use the required templates and carefully follow the application manual.

7. Respect the 3,000-Word Project Proposal Limit

The proposal has a strict maximum of 3,000 words, and the stated limit includes footnotes, headers, footers and bibliographical references.

Applicants should therefore edit their proposal carefully to ensure it remains within the prescribed limit.

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Who Should Consider Applying?

This fellowship may be particularly suitable for:

• Senior university researchers based in Africa
• Established researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Researchers with a completed PhD
• Researchers with at least eight years of post-doctoral experience
• Scholars with a strong peer-reviewed publication record
• Researchers working on sustainable governance
• Academics interested in interdisciplinary research
• Researchers seeking international academic collaboration
• Scholars who can establish cooperation with a professor at the University of Freiburg

Visit HERE to learn more about the FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme.

Countries and Nationality Eligibility

The programme is designed for researchers based in African countries.

There is no requirement that applicants be African nationals. The programme explicitly states that fellowships are available to researchers of any nationality who are based in an African institution.

Therefore, eligibility is primarily connected to the applicant’s institutional base and the programme’s academic requirements rather than race or nationality.

Applicants should nevertheless review the official application manual for the complete definition of eligibility and institutional requirements.

Final Takeaway

The FRIAS Sustainable Governance Senior Fellowship Programme for Researchers from Africa 2027/28 offers an important opportunity for experienced African-based researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences to spend six months conducting independent research within the international academic environment of the University of Freiburg.

The programme combines research time, academic networking, interdisciplinary exchange, research-cost support and travel support. However, it is highly competitive, with an expected success rate of approximately 10% among eligible applications.

The strongest applicants will need more than the minimum qualifications. They should present an original and academically rigorous research project, demonstrate a strong publication record, clearly connect their research to sustainable governance and establish a meaningful academic relationship with a professor at the University of Freiburg.

Eligible researchers should begin preparing early, particularly because the application requires a detailed project proposal, academic CV, publication list, PhD documentation and a mandatory Letter of Cooperation.

The application deadline is 18 September 2026 at 13:00 CET, so prospective applicants should review the application manual, identify a suitable University of Freiburg academic partner and prepare all required documents well before the deadline.

For more global Fellowship opportunities visit OFY HERE.