FRIAS’s new management committee appointed following the Senate’s approval of its new concept.

The   University of Freiburg´s Senate unanimously passed FRIAS’s new concept on 11th December 2013, thereby   approving both the Institute’s transitional Statutes and its new management structure. The new Board of Directors is comprised of two academic directors, Prof. Dr Hermann Grabert and Prof. Dr Bernd Kortmann, each of whom represent one of FRIAS’s two academic fields. The Vice Rector for Research Prof. Dr Gunther Neuhaus and the Head Administrator of FRIAS Dr Carsten Dose complete the management team.

Thanks to the university’s widespread support for the new FRIAS and the financial backing obtained from the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, the Institute is now in a position to begin implementing the activities planned for the coming academic years. In doing so priority will be given to opening the Institute to all disciplines, creating flexible funding formats and establishing new platforms for discussing research topics that are particularly relevant to society. The Federal State of Baden-Württemberg has pledged to provide the Institute with 3.8 million euros of funding between November 2014 and the end of 2017.

At a press conference held at FRIAS, Dr Simone Schwanitz, the head of the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, explained, “The structures to be introduced by the new FRIAS concept and its clear focus on socially relevant research topics are particularly impressive. The reorganised FRIAS is destined to bring considerable benefits to Baden-Württemberg and the fact that the Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts is providing funds to help it restructure is an unmistakable sign to the University of Freiburg that FRIAS can be relied on to succeed.”

FRIAS is also due to receive a further 3.3 million euros of EU funds over the coming years. The Institute currently has an annual budget of around 2.5 million euros but is aiming to increase this core funding significantly by securing further external sources of finance.

Above from right to left:
Prof. Dr. Bernd Kortmann (Academic Director)
Prof. Dr. Hermann Grabert (Academic Director)
Prof. Dr. Gunther Neuhaus (Vice Rector for Research)
Dr. Carsten Dose (Head Administrator)