Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) has been invited to join the prestigious international group of institutes for advanced study known as SIAS – Some Institutes for Advanced Study.
This makes STIAS the first institute of its kind on the African continent to join their ranks, and increases the league’s membership from nine to ten.
STIAS is situated on the old Mostertsdrift farm next to the Jan Marais Nature Reserve. A donation from the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg foundation in 2005 enabled STIAS to build a modern research and seminar centre. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
SIAS is a consortium that links nine Institutes for Advanced Study, mostly from Europe and the United States. The members are:
The Princeton Institute for Advanced Study
The National Humanities Center in North Carolina
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard
The Berlin Institute for Advanced Study
The Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study
The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study
The Israel Institute for Advanced Studies
and The Nantes Institute for Advanced Study
Story map: Where in the world are the Some Institutes of Advanced Study? Explore the interactive map below to learn more. MAP: Nell Hofmeyr.
“I think there is an appreciation that all of these institutes are very well-respected,” says Prof. Hendrik Geyer, Director at STIAS. “So it’s obviously a sign of recognition for us to be invited to join them”. .”
To be considered for membership, institutes are required to meet certain core criteria. They must be committed to the highest standards of scholarship, be a competitive fellowship program, be sustainable in terms of funding and maintain independence from both university and government structures.
Geyer says that joining SIAS comes after years of establishing important links with members of the group and building relationships with the directors and fellows of the other institutions.
Professor Hendrik Geyer, Director at STIAS since 2008. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
To achieve this stamp of approval establishes STIAS as the premiere Institute for Advanced Study in the southern hemisphere and in Africa, according to Prof. Jannie Hofmeyr, a member of the STIAS Fellowship and Research Programme Committee.
“It is a great honour but well-earned, as STIAS has over one and a half decades built up a formidable international reputation as a choice international research destination,” he says.
Professor Jannie Hofmeyr. He currently serves as Director at the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition, which is housed on the STIAS premises. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
Hendrik Geyer (left) and Jannie Hofmeyr (right). Both have been involved with STIAS since it was founded in 1999. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
STIAS was founded by Stellenbosch University (SU) in 1999 as a fellowship programme that seeks to advance cross-disciplinary research.
Serving as a ‘creative space for the mind’, STIAS nurtures top researchers and intellectual leaders in the search for innovative solutions to urgent issues facing the world, and in particular the country and continent.
In the beginning, STIAS functioned within SU structures, but, in 2007, became an autonomous not-for-profit company.
Chairperson of the SU Council, George Steyn, says that the university maintains a “strong and healthy relationship” with STIAS which he believes brings many benefits to SU.
A room designated for fellows at STIAS, fondly dubbed “the monastery” by staff. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
“The Institute offers a number of PhD bursaries to SU students and contributes directly to the University’s research outputs, which has a positive impact on SU’s position in world rankings,” he says.
On their admission into the Some group, Steyn says the council is positive.
“The SU Council welcomes the admission of STIAS to the SIAS grouping. We are proud that STIAS is enjoying growing international recognition – which is good for our University, country and continent.”