UNICA joins European partners in call to champion academic freedom and protect researchers at risk

10 June 2025 | From UNICA - From partners

Over 30 leading European organisations, including UNICA, are calling the EU and its Member States to take stronger action in defending academic freedom and supporting researchers at risk around the world.

The call was officially launched on 7 May 2025, in Paris, during the Stakeholder Forum of Inspireurope+, a EU funded initiative to support, promote and integrate researchers at risk in Europe. This Forum took place just two days after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed that “Europe must remain the home of academic and scientific freedom” at the launch of the Choose Europe for Science initiative.

Why this call for action?

• Escalating global threats: Academic freedom and institutional autonomy are under increasing pressure worldwide—restricting democracy, research innovation, and free expression .
• Proven need and impact of support measures: the collective of organisations has demonstrated through different initiatives that measures of support measures for researchers at risk benefit individuals, host institutions, and the European research and education landscape.
• Demonstrated success of European collaboration: witnessing successful, coordinated responses across institutions and national bodies, the coalition calls for deepening these efforts.

What we are calling for

The coalition of organisations has outlined three strategic priorities:

1. Make academic freedom a priority in EU funding instruments, including the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the European Research Area Act;
2. Establish a permanent European fellowship programme for researchers at risk, building on successful pilots such as MSCA4Ukraine and the SAFE programme.
3. Embed support for researchers at risk into broader EU strategies, particularly the Choose Europe for Science campaign, to position Europe as a safe haven for free inquiry and scientific integrity.

Signatories:

Why UNICA joined

UNICA has joined this initiative with the conviction that protecting academic freedom means protecting democratic resilience, societal progress, and scientific rigour and impact. UNICA stands in solidarity with researchers facing persecution, conflict, or forced exile – and calls on European institutions to scale up concrete, long-term measures of support.

For further information regarding the statement, including media requests, please contact: Inspireurope+, inspireurope@mu.ie or Frank Geary, Director, Scholars at Risk Europe, frank.geary@mu.ie. For general queries regarding Inspireurope+ or any of the statement signatories, please contact inspireurope@mu.ie.