Inspireurope Recommendations: Expanding opportunities in Europe for researchers at risk
27 April 2022 | From partners
On Thursday 21st April, UNICA joined other HE stakeholders, representatives from the European Parliament and Commission and from HEIs in a meeting organised by the European University Association (EUA) aimed at presenting the Inspireurope recommendations titled “Expanding opportunities in Europe for researchers at risk”.
The project
The project Inspireurope started in September 2019 and its mission is rooted in supporting, promoting and integrating researchers at risk in Europe. In the last two years the project has organised several events with the aim of educating, sharing and advocating for researchers and students at risk. The recommendations are the result of meetings, discussions and confrontations and can inspire further actions at the European, national and institutional level.
The recommendations
After a warm welcome by Michael Gaebel (Head of Unit at EUA) who explained how these recommendations were written and the efforts made to advocate for more support for researchers at risk, Henriette Stoeber (Policy Analyst at EUA), main responsible for the project within EUA, explained to the attendees the eight recommendations contained in the document:
- Acknowledge and support researchers at risk in higher education and research, including as a matter of defending academic freedom, and as a contribution to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Establish a dedicated European fellowship scheme
- Create national support programmes for researchers at risk
- Facilitate access of researchers at risk to existing European funding programmes
- Build capacity to enhance long-term prospects for researchers at risk
- Expand opportunities beyond academia for researchers at risk
- Consider intersectionality in the support for researchers at risk
- Enhance visa pathways for researchers at risk
These recommendations provide practical solutions to enhance European programmes, national initiatives and university capacities to welcome and integrate researchers at risk on the long term. The Inspireurope team can provide support in adapting to these recommendations.
The representatives in the meeting provided their feedback from different perspectives, but each underlined the need of improving policies to be able to face this challenge and integrate researchers at risk. The integration is not only beneficial for people leaving a threat, it is also a resource for European Union and more broadly for international research.
The recommendations are available here, with an annex providing a compendium of existing resources.
Other activities to support scholars at risk
- Resources from members, partners & other organisations to support academic communities from Ukraine
- E-Handbook “Promoting Core Higher Education Values – Perspectives from the field”
- Report: Universities responding to forced displacement
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.