Why is academic freedom important?
Academic freedom is a fundamental pillar of research and education. It means that universities and researchers are able to work free of political, economic or other control. However, the debate about academic freedom has become increasingly relevant, particularly in a time of global anxiety and conflicts.
“Academic freedom is a fundamental condition for the quality and credibility of research and education. The autonomy of universities, just like the intellectual freedom of researchers and university lecturers, is also an important condition for democracy. We are seeing more and more examples of how academic freedom and democracy are under pressure and on the retreat in our world. And we are not spared from this in Sweden,” says Rebecca Selberg, associate professor of gender studies and a participant in the project.
What is the biggest threat to academic freedom today?
An investigation by the Swedish Higher Education Authority in 2024 showed that many people feel that academic freedom is threatened, mainly by external factors but also by internal challenges such as standardisation and opinion corridors. The investigation also showed that discussion about academic freedom is uncommon among researchers, teaching staff and students.
“The activities of universities, our education and research, have come to be regarded as an increasingly important political instrument for achieving various goals and maintaining economic growth. This is good in many ways, as higher education institutions have become more important in societal development, but it has also meant increased political control and interference. Higher education institutions are also central in defining what is knowledge and fact, which affects the societal debate and political decisions. This has also led to political factions increasingly trying to influence higher education institutions through threats or attempts at bans,” says Vilhelm Persson, professor of public law and a participant in the project.
The project will strengthen academic freedom
Based on this, the University has initiated a project to strengthen awareness and create a joint declaration on academic freedom and the University’s role in societal development.
“The project will create a forum for open and in-depth collegial discussion on academic freedom and the University’s role in society in order to increase knowledge on issues relating to academic freedom. We will do this by having meetings that gather experiences and viewpoints from the University’s employees and students,” says Tim Ekberg, senior advisor to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, and a participant in the project.
What the project will do
“We want to awaken interest in this issue and start a discussion about what academic freedom means in practice for those working at the University. Based on these discussions, we hope that together we can identify possible measures to strengthen academic freedom at all levels within Lund University. The aim is to create a culture that encourages the free and open search for knowledge and counteracts standardisation", says the project participants.
The project is led by Pro Vice-Chancellor Jimmie Kristensson together with a steering group of representatives from the faculties, the Offices of the Vice-Chancellor and the student union.
Next step
Work on drawing up a declaration has now begun and will be based on open and in-depth discussion. The final report will be submitted to the Vice-Chancellor in early 2027.