University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study (UBIAS)

BIAS stands for “University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study”. The UBIAS network was initiated in 2010, when representatives from 32 research institutes worldwide met at the conference entitled "University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study in a Global Perspective: Promises, Challenges, New Frontiers," hosted by the Freiburg Institute of Advanced Studies, Germany. The founding of the first UBIAS dates back more than 40 years. However, the last decade has seen an upsurge in the establishment of such institutes across the globe – a trend that continues. Unlike traditional Institutes for Advanced Study, UBIAS institutes are associated with or embedded within a university, and actively contribute to the academic culture and the scientific achievements of their home university.

Connecting researchers across the globe
By offering various fellowship programmes on different academic levels (junior and senior researchers), UBIAS institutes bring together outstanding researchers from different disciplines, nationalities and academic backgrounds, creating a productive environment for innovative research. These common characteristics have proved to be a fruitful basis for mutual exchange, although the individual institutes display a large variety of different concepts and academic pursuits. With their individual profiles, they answer to the specific needs and strengths of their affiliate university. While many institutes have traditionally concentrated on humanities and social sciences, an increasing number of institutes now incorporate theoretical and experimental sciences.