Scholars at Risk | Resources

1. SAR Virtual 2020 Congress

The Scholars at Risk Network 2020 Global Congress, Truth, Power and Society: The Promise of Higher Education in Challenging Times, was a joint venture of Scholars at Risk (SAR), Johns Hopkins University, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the SAR United States Section.

2. How to host: A Handbook for Education Partners

This handbook, designed primarily for institutions hosting a scholar via the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR), is a collection of practical information and resources based on the prior experiences of network members, assisted scholars, and SAR staff. In preparing this handbook, we recognize that every visit arrangement between a scholar and an institution presents unique questions. Nevertheless, there are certain common situations and practices that lend themselves to advance cataloging and discussion, which we do here. We believe that addressing these early and in an organized fashion should facilitate a positive experience for the visiting scholar and institution alike.

3. Speaker Series: How to Organise Events on Campus

This handbook, designed primarily for higher education institutions by the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR), is a collection of practical information and resources based on the prior experiences of network members, assisted scholars, and SAR staff. In preparing this handbook, we recognize that every speaker visit arrangement between a scholar and an institution presents unique questions. Nevertheless, there are certain common situations and practices that lend themselves to advance cataloging and discussion, which we do here. We believe that addressing these early and in an organized fashion should facilitate a positive experience for the visiting scholar and institution alike.

4. Free to Think 2020

Through its Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, Scholars at Risk (SAR) responds to these attacks by identifying and tracking key incidents, with the aim of protecting vulnerable individuals, raising awareness, encouraging accountability, and promoting dialogue and understanding that can help prevent future threats. Since 2015, SAR has been publishing Free to Think, a series of annual reports analyzing attacks on higher education communities around the world. Free to Think 2020 details a continuation of a global pattern of attacks. However, beginning with the global onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, as universities around the world shut down, students and faculty left campus, and higher education transitioned (where possible) to an online model, the pattern changed, and the crisis revealed new vulnerabilities within higher education.

5. EUA-European University Association: Universities without Walls - A vision for 2030

Every institution’s strategic plan must begin with a vision of what it aspires to be, what it must become, to discharge its mission in society. That vision relies on extensive horizon scanning, much guesswork and a lot of consultation. “Universities without Walls” is offered as a support, to guide university leaders and their academic communities in their institutional planning. It is a distillation of the views of many experts and stakeholders on how Europe’s universities might best serve society in the coming years. Why a ten-year vision now? Firstly, there is a growing sense of being at a tipping point, a time of transformation driven by multiple economic, political and environmental pressures. Secondly, the ongoing pandemic adds to the urgency of addressing what the future for our societies and our planet should and will be. Thirdly, there are exciting developments in the framework conditions for our sector at the European level with the emerging European Education Area and the revitalised European Research Area seeking to shape a common political direction. There is a need for a clear vision for and by universities, how they want to develop, shape and respond to these challenges over this decade. While this guide is aimed at providing inspiration and support for Europe’s universities, it is also an invitation to partners from other parts of society to join forces for a better future and for policy makers to ensure the right framework conditions. It is not a crisis response; our sector is strong and dynamic. We are looking forward in order to reflect and to do things better. Key to success will be universities that are open, enforcing the vision of universities without walls, engaging deeply with other parts of society while firmly rooted in their values. This vision builds on EUA’s work with its members over the last 20 years. It was endorsed by all national rectors’ conferences at the EUA Council on 29 January 2021.

6. The Academic Freedom Index 2020 Report

The Academic Freedom Index (AFi) is a robust instrument for research, but it also serves to inform policy debates among government officials, parliamentarians, research funders, university administrators, academics, students, and advocates. This report aims to further contribute to such debates. After introducing the objectives of the index as well as the dataset, we provide specific recommendations for key stakeholders on how they can apply the AFi to protect and promote academic freedom worldwide.

7. Guidelines for Inclusion of Researchers at Risk

Academic freedom and freedom of scientific research are core principles of the European Union and as such anchored in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. They are in line with the European Commission’s key political priorities (2019-2024), and figure high on the European research and education agendas, as highlighted in the European Research Area and European Education Area Communications (September 2020), the Bonn Declaration on Freedom in Scientific Research (October 2020), and the Rome Ministerial Communiqué (November 2020). Investing in excellent researchers is therefore essential if Europe is to remain globally competitive and innovative, and, at the same time, true to its common values. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are the European Union’s flagship instrument to support the mobility, training and career development of researchers, as well as the establishment of excellent doctoral and post-doctoral programmes. The MSCA are open to researchers of any nationality and at any stage of their careers, from doctoral candidates to postdoctoral researchers. They encourage international, crosssectoral and interdisciplinary cooperation, where topics are chosen freely by the applicants and the main drivers are excellence and innovation. As such, the MSCA are open to researchers at risk and all MSCA applicants and beneficiaries are encouraged to take measures to facilitate the participation of these researchers in MSCA-funded projects. The present document has been developed with the help of the Inspireurope project, a Europe-wide initiative funded by the MSCA to support researchers at risk. The document provides useful background on researchers at risk, along with recommendations on improving their recruitment. Although the document targets mainly MSCA beneficiaries, its recommendations go beyond the MSCA, and can be implemented by the higher education community more generally.