Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF)

The ZiF – Bielefeld University's Institute for Advanced Study – supports and funds outstanding and innovative interdisciplinary research projects. Founded in 1968 as Germany's first institution of its kind, the ZiF became a model for numerous Institutes for Advanced Study throughout Europe. Open to any research topic, the ZiF welcomes scholars from all academic disciplines and countries. It offers the opportunity to realize interdisciplinary academic projects with international colleagues by means of providing residential fellowships, grants, and conference services. The history of the ZiF shows that interdisciplinary exchange opens up new approaches to a shared subject and can even initiate new fields of research. Therefore the ZiF does not invite individual researchers but complete research groups to work on interdisciplinary projects. The ZiF hereby seeks to meet the growing differentiation within the disciplines as well as the 'great interdisciplinarity,' the encounter between science and humanities. The ZiF's mission is to encourage, mediate and host high level interdisciplinary exchange. The ZiF funds Research Groups (12 months), Cooperation Groups (1 to 6 months), Workshops (2 to 14 days). Applications can be addressed at any time to the Managing Director.