The Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences (CALAS) is a university-based Center for Advanced Studies founded by a consortium of Latin American and German universities. The  University of Guadalajara, Mexico, houses the head office of CALAS while three regional offices are located at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Quito, Ecuador; the Universidad de Costa Rica in San José, Costa Rica; and the Universidad Nacional San Martín in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The German Universities  Bielefeld, Kassel and Hanover are responsible for the project management. In addition, numerous other universities and research facilities from all over Latin America are associated with CALAS.

As a Center for Advanced Latin American Studies, CALAS promotes scientific, transregional, transnational, and systematic studies in the social sciences, humanities, and arts on topics relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, one of CALAS' objectives is to stimulate the search for new fields of research in Latin America through the aforementioned (regional) Centers for Advanced Studies, thus providing a space for high-level transregional and international research and dialogue. CALAS is a member of the international network of University-based Institutes for Advanced Studies (UBIAS).

To achieve its objectives, the partners collaborate to:

• conduct exemplary excellent research in thematic research groups connected at the regional level and with international visibility, providing these groups with  he conditions to transfer the results of their studies to other areas of society through the dissemination of knowledge and publications.
• enter into dialogue with internationally renowned researchers.
• promote academic exchange and cooperation between academia, civil society, and the political sphere, including “other forms of knowledge.”
• contribute to teaching with a focus on research and networking, and train young academics in this regard, with the aim of achieving the internationalization of teaching and research.

The directory bodies of CALAS are composed of a Board of Directors and a Steering Committee. An internationally renowned Advisory Board is set up for academic advice.

The research program in the 2017-2025 period focused on the theme "Coping with Crises: Transdisciplinary Perspectives from Latin America". At present, the programs are part of the agenda “Creating Horizons: Accelerations, Transformations, and Emergencies.” (2025-2029).