Just before the Christmas break I was able to have fascinating and informative meetings with fellow directors at Institutes for Advanced Study in Europe, Professor Gerd Folkers at Collegium Helveticum, Zurich and Professor Ernst Rank at The Institute for Advanced Study of Technische Universität München.

It was also wonderful to hear about the work of the Centre for Advanced Studies Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich (CAS LMU) from the Managing Director Dr Annette Meyer.

In the beautiful surroundings and offices at CAS LMU, I was able to catch up with UBIAS colleagues who were planning the second phase of the Intercontinental Academia on Time. We also had a most productive discussion about the agenda and aims for the next UBIAS Directors’ Meeting which we will be hosting this coming June here at the University of Birmingham.

Mike Hannon (Director, Institute of Advanced Studies)

The call is now open from the Institute D’Études Avancées, Paris, for applications from high level international scholars and scientists in the fields of the humanities, the social sciences and related fields for periods of five or nine months, during the academic year 2017–2018.

The Paris IAS will host around twenty guest researchers, allowing them to work freely on the project of their choice. The researchers will benefit from the scientific environment of the Institute and have the opportunity to create contacts with researchers in the academic institutions of Greater Paris.

Deadline for applications: Tuesday, 1 March 2016, 3.00pm (Paris, France time) Full details and application process.