Frameworks of reference for the protection and promotion of academic freedom: institutional, national and supra-national. What works best?

King’s College London

Higher Education CAPITALs is an annual event held at the end of May, in London. It brings together higher education leaders, researchers, public authorities and media representatives from Europe and beyond, to identify and discuss difficult, important and often neglected contemporary issues that are of key relevance for universities and the communities they serve.

It is organized jointly by UNICA and the School of Education, Communication and Society of King’s College London, through GOAF – the Global Observatory on Academic Freedom.

Higher Education CAPITALs 2026

At present, threats to academic freedom come from many directions, mainly from outside higher education institutions but, also, sometimes from within. In the last decade, we have witnessed a series of attempts to (re)codify and regulate academic freedom as part of efforts to protect and promote it under new and evolving circumstances, or, quite the contrary, to restrict or even repress it. The concept of frameworks of reference for academic freedom has proven a useful tool in analysing and explaining this development and also in suggesting new, and supporting continuing, ways of action in defense of academic freedom. This conference will bring together university leaders, researchers, and other key higher education stakeholders to take the pulse with regard to the emergence of new frameworks of reference. In particular, it will discuss about the responsibility and also the latitude of the universities themselves in developing institutional frameworks of reference, and in engaging with external stakeholders and authorities in developing national or supra-national frameworks of reference.

Target groups

Vice-Rectors for education and/or student affairs, representatives of academic leadership, responsible of education & teaching, Deans, Directors for innovation in education and coordinators of study programmes​ from UNICA members.

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UNICA EduLAB – KCL Joint Conference 2026

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Frameworks of reference for the protection and promotion of academic freedom: institutional, national and supra-national. What works best?

7-8 May 2026

Download the programme