Academic Freedom Under Pressure

Universities depend on academic freedom to create and share knowledge through research, teaching, debate, and dialogue. Yet this freedom is increasingly under pressure worldwide. Governments are interfering with the content of education and research by banning topics, reshaping curricula, censoring scholars, and closing institutions. The latest Free to Think 2026 report by global network Scholars at Risk documents 382 attacks on scholars, students, and institutions in 59 countries.

The Netherlands is not immune. Academic freedom is also declining here, according to the Academic Freedom Index. The Rectors of the Dutch Universities have sounded the alarm and the KNAW is examining whether academic freedom should be given explicit legal protection in the Dutch Constitution.

How can universities, researchers, and society protect academic freedom when it comes under political or societal pressure? A panel of scientists from different fields of research, linguist Joanna Chojnicka, social psychologist Tom Postmes, medical physicist Oleksandra Ivashchenko, and biologist Dirk-Jan Scheffers share their views on how to protect academic freedom. Associate Professor Geography and Psychology of Religion Brenda Mathijsen will lead the discussion.

This programme is organised in honour of the 25th anniversary of the Scholars at Risk (SAR) network, of which the University of Groningen is a member.

Oleksandra Ivashchenko is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Medical Physicist at UMCG working on ways to make medical imaging safer and more effective for vulnerable groups. She co-founded #ScienceForUkraine, a volunteer-run NGO supporting the Ukrainian academic community with the aim to ensure the continuity of Ukrainian research and its presence in the international academic community during the war.

Tom Postmes is Professor of Social Psychology at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences. His research group studies group dynamics, including teamwork, collective action and conflict. He founded and led studies into the societal impact of induced earthquakes in the North. He currently leads a project on crowd behavioural dynamics.

Joanna Chojnicka is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts working on, among others, discourses of gender transition on Polish social media. She also researches the politics of LGBTQ+ free zones. She is interested in the ethics regarding doing research with vulnerable groups and the unforeseen consequences of this research.

Dirk-Jan Scheffers is Professor of Bacterial Cell Biology at the Faculty of Science and Engineering. His work focuses on environmentally friendly methods to combat plant diseases, caused by bacteria. He is active in 'WOinActie' a national community of academic staff advocating for the interests of higher education and research. He is a former member of both the faculty and university council.