Academic Freedom
Tuesday 17 June 2025
15:00 – 16:30 (CEST)
Online
More information soon.
Academic freedom is facing unprecedented threats worldwide. Scholars, educators, and students are increasingly vulnerable to contemporary challenges to the right to explore, express, and exchange ideas without fear of reprisal. Challenges to the right to teach, learn and research range from ideological polarization and censorship to misinformation, undue influence in funding and surveillance. This erosion of academic freedom undermines the quality of education, hinders scientific progress, and weakens the foundations of open and democratic societies.
In response to these challenges, NORRAG is establishing an Academic Freedom Fellows Initiative to complement those established in 2024 in Africa, Asia, Latin America and South-East Asia. This Fellows Scheme will, in the same way as in the other regions, support critical research, foster dialogue, and promote the defence of academic freedom. The scheme will provide a platform for Fellows to investigate salient threats to academic freedom, contribute to a more nuanced understanding of its importance in contemporary society, and develop innovative approaches to its protection.