University of Mannheim Officially Opens Center for Advanced Studies
With the Center for Advanced Studies (CAS), the University of Mannheim is further advancing its interdisciplinary collaborative research. The Center focuses on new research alliances, innovative topics, and networking among fellows from different schools.
Press release from 11 February 2026
Print version (pdf)
At a ceremonial event on Tuesday, 10 February, the University of Mannheim officially opened its new Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) in the presence of DFG Vice President Caren Sureth-Sloan and Lord Mayor Christian Specht. Established by the Senate in March 2025, the Center strengthens interdisciplinary collaborative research at the University of Mannheim. The CAS offers professors at the university the opportunity to work together on innovative research ideas as part of a six-month fellowship.
“With the Center for Advanced Studies, we are creating a space where excellent research can gain new momentum beyond school and disciplinary boundaries,” says President Professor Thomas Fetzer. Professor Jutta Mata, Vice President for Research and Career Paths in Academia, adds: “The CAS is a central component of our new research strategy. We are deliberately creating spaces where research collaborations and networks can emerge that form the basis for future Collaborative Research Centers and Clusters of Excellence.”
Up to ten fellowships are awarded each year, divided into two cohorts: one in the spring semester and one in the fall semester. Each fellowship includes funding for a substitute professor and is financed through external funding.
The first cohort will begin as early as spring 2026; the second cohort for fall 2026 has also already been selected.
In the first call for applications last year, six fellows from three schools were selected. They will work together on the project Knowledge acquisition, representation, and application in human minds and machines. The project focuses on how knowledge acquisition and processing function in human and artificial cognitive systems under real-world conditions.
Starting in fall 2026, two research tandems from three schools will be based at the CAS. One will research the topic of Distrust, while the second will examine Dignity: Nonpecuniary Utility at the Intersection of Finance and Politics.
A space for exchange and new ideas
A total of four rooms are available to the fellows in the research and teaching building at B6: three individual or tandem offices, as well as a larger conference and meeting room designed specifically to promote informal academic exchange.
The next cohort will begin its fellowships in 2027; the selection process is currently underway.
For more information, please refer to: www.uni-mannheim.de/experience
Click here for media photos.
Contact:
Dr. Markus Sommer
Coordinator CAS development
University of Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 181-1262
E-mail: markus.sommeruni-mannheim.de
Linda Schädler
Head of Communications / Media Spokeswoman
University of Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 181-1434
E-mail: schaedleruni-mannheim.de