The Center for Interdisciplinary Research (german: Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung (ZiF)) is the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in

Bielefeld University Bielefeld University (german: Universität Bielefeld) is a university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization a ...

, Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1968, it was the first IAS in Germany and became a model for numerous similar institutes in Europe. The ZiF promotes and provides premises for interdisciplinary and international research groups. Scholars from all countries and all disciplines can carry out interdisciplinary research projects ranging from one-year research groups to short workshops. In the last 40 years numerous renowned researchers lived and worked at ZiF, among them the social scientist

Norbert Elias Norbert Elias (; 22 June 1897 – 1 August 1990) was a German sociologist who later became a British citizen. He is especially famous for his theory of civilizing/decivilizing processes. Biography Elias was born on 22 June 1897 in Bresla ...

and Nobel Laureates

Reinhard Selten Reinhard Justus Reginald Selten (; 5 October 1930 – 23 August 2016) was a German economist, who won the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (shared with John Harsanyi and John Nash). He is also well known for his work in bound ...

John Charles Harsanyi John Charles Harsanyi ( hu, Harsányi János Károly; May 29, 1920 – August 9, 2000) was a Hungarian-American economist and the recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994. He is best known for his contributions to the ...

, Roger B. Myerson and

Elinor Ostrom Elinor Claire "Lin" Ostrom (née Awan; August 7, 1933 – June 12, 2012) was an American Political science, political scientist and Political economy, political economist whose work was associated with New institutional economics, New Institutio ...

Mission

The mission of the ZiF is to encourage, mediate and host interdisciplinary exchange. The concept was developed by German sociologist

Helmut Schelsky Helmut Schelsky (14 October 1912 – 24 February 1984), was a German sociologist, the most influential in post-World War II Germany, well into the 1970s. Biography Schelsky was born in Chemnitz, Saxony. He turned to social philosophy and even ...

, who was its first director, serving from 1968 to 1971. Schelsky believed that interdisciplinary exchange is a key driver of scientific progress. Therefore, the ZiF does not focus on a single topic and does not invite individual researchers, but offers scholars the opportunity to carry out interdisciplinary research projects with international colleagues, free from everyday duties. The ZiF offers residential fellowships, grants and conference services. Schelsky wrote:

... systematic and regular discussion, colloquia, critique, and agreement in a group of scientists interested in the same topics, although perhaps from different perspectives, are of the greatest benefit for a scholar and his work.

Working formats

The ZiF funds research groups for one year, "cooperation groups" for 1–6 months and workshops of 2–14 days. Public lectures, authors' colloquia and art exhibitions address wider audiences.

Structure

The ZiF is Bielefeld University’s Institute for Advanced Study. Its Board of Directors consists of five professors of Bielefeld University, assisted by a Scientific Advisory Council consisting of 16 eminent scholars. A staff of about 20 organizes life and work at the ZiF. About 1000 scholars visit the ZiF every year, one third from abroad. They take part in about 40 activities, including one research group, one or two cooperation groups, and about 20 workshops per year. So far about 600 publications have been issued by ZiF projects.

Living and Working

The ZiF is situated in the hilly surroundings of the

Teutoburg Forest The Teutoburg Forest ( ; german: Teutoburger Wald ) is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed th ...

, close to the university. It has its own campus, surrounded by conference facilities and apartments for the fellows and their families. So the ZiF’s fellows can enjoy the tranquil setting as well as the facilities of the nearby University. A professional infrastructure including library and indoor pool offers pleasant working and living conditions.

References

* Sabine Maasen. "Introducing Interdisciplinarity: Irresistible Infliction? The Example of a Research Group at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF), Bielefeld, Germany". In: Peter Weingart, Nico Stehr (eds): ''Practising Interdisciplinarity'', University of Toronto Press 2000, pp. 173-194. . * Helmut Schelsky. "Das Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung. Eine Denkschrift von Helmut Schelsky". In: Paul Mikat, Helmut Schelsky: ''Grundzüge einer neuen Universität. Zur Planung einer Hochschulgründung in Ostwestfalen''.

C. Bertelsmann Verlag Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA () is a German privately held company, private multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's l ...

, Gütersloh, 1966. *

Ipke Wachsmuth Ipke Wachsmuth was born 1950. He is a German computer scientist within the fields of artificial intelligence and cognitive science. Wachsmuth is a professor for artificial intelligence at Bielefeld University and teaches computer science and art ...

. "ZiF". In: Robert Frodeman, Julie Thompson Klein, Carl Mitcham (eds): ''The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2010, pp. 292-293. .

External links