Scholars at Risk is an international network of higher education institutions and individuals working to protect threatened scholars,  prevent attacks on higher education communities around the world and to promote academic freedom. The Ionian University joined the Network by decision of its Senat on 21st December 2020 operating in the framework of SAR Europe. The Greek Section of SAR was established on October 1, 2021, with founding members being the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Ionian University, the University of the Aegean, and the University of Thessaly.

SAR Europe hosted at Maynooth University Irland is the European office of the global Scholars at Risk network. Launched at an event at the European Parliament in November 2018, the establishment of SAR Europe represents the culmination of nearly two decades of partnership between European higher education institutions and the global Scholars at Risk Network. The European office supports and coordinates the activities of Scholars at Risk national sections and partner networks across Europe to strengthen our collective voice at the European level and contribute to informed policymaking for the greater protection of scholars and increased respect for academic freedom worldwide. Maynooth University coordinates also InSPIREurope, an ambitious 10-partner Europe-wide initiative to support researchers at risk. InSPIREurope is funded under the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and will forge a coordinated, cross-sectoral, Europe-wide alliance for researchers at risk.

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"The mission of SAR, while primarily academic in nature, has a profound socio-political dimension as well. As Paulo Freire, the Brazilian pedagogue, believed, education is inherently political and characterized by power dynamics. He argued that to liberate academic institutions, the aim should be to shift these power relations to establish a more equitable and just society, and to use education as a tool for progressive social change. This aligns with Foucault’s call to examine the political responsibilities of intellectuals in terms of truth and power and their impact on collective consciousness. By advancing the global discourse on the significance of academic freedom, SAR aims to break the oppressive grip of power on the academy and society, thereby contributing to the process of social change."

Majid Mgamis, Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Languages and Translation University of Agder, Norway (SAR Scholar)