The European Union must ¡°take firm steps¡± to protect free scientific research, a leading university group has said, describing a ¡°general erosion of academic freedom in Europe and beyond¡± amid the rise of populism around the world.

, The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities endorsed calls for stronger legal protections concerning the freedom of academic research, while urging the creation of a dedicated ombudsperson able to ¡°respond quickly, impartially and effectively to infringements of academic freedom¡±.

Pointing to the , which describes a ¡°substantially meaningful decline in academic freedom¡± in 34 countries over the past ten years, the guild highlighted Argentinian and American cuts to research funding; research system reforms in Hungary, restrictions on academics¡¯ research time in Serbia; and the?recently reinforced?power of the Turkish president to appoint university rectors.

For Europe to be a ¡°beacon of open and free science¡± in this climate, both the European Commission and the governments of EU member states must take action to protect the freedom of scientific research, the umbrella body said.

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While commending both the European Parliament¡¯s calls for a self-standing academic freedom act and the commission¡¯s proposal for stronger legal protections through a future European Research Area act, the guild warned that folding measures to protect academic freedom into a broader act could tie their adoption ¡°to the political acceptability of measures in other fields, where there is currently weaker consensus or none¡±.

¡°It is crucial that the European Commission, and Ursula von der Leyen personally, have recognised the importance of academic freedom for the future of Europe,¡± said guild secretary general Jan Palmowski in a statement.

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¡°To ensure we can achieve this fully, we propose a clear strategy to maximise our support for researchers within Europe, and from other parts of the world, appropriate to the infringements they face.¡±

The university group called for ¡°appropriate and consistent¡± research investment at both the national and European levels, including a ¡°significantly increased¡± budget for future framework programme FP10; it further expressed ¡°concern¡± that countries hoping to attract researchers leaving the United States, such as France and Netherlands, had announced dedicated funding programmes while simultaneously cutting national research budgets.

To become more attractive to international researchers, EU countries must invest in ¡°top-notch infrastructure¡± as well as ¡°enhanced career structures to reduce precarity, especially among early-career researchers, and facilitate sectoral and geographical mobility,¡± said the guild.

Recruiting international talent, the group cautioned, should result in ¡°brain circulation¡± rather than brain drain, and Europe should help to support researchers whose work is under threat but who wish to stay in their home countries. Researchers whose safety is at risk, meanwhile, should be assisted to relocate if necessary, with support including dedicated funding and fast-track visa procedures.

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Amid international development funding cuts in the US and other countries, Europe should also ¡°endeavour to fill the gaps left by major funding donors in international research collaboration to avoid, or at least minimise, disruption to projects aimed at the global public good, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals,¡± the guild said.

"Academic freedom is the bedrock of research excellence. Europe must act now to defend it," the umbrella body stated.

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com