24 April 2025
On 23–24 April, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences travelled to Warsaw for a joint meeting with the Young Academy of Poland. At a time when the conditions for research can no longer be taken for granted, the theme – academic freedom and academic security – opened up new perspectives and strengthened community.
Photo: Agnieszka Pocierznicka
Young Academy of Sweden was very honoured and pleased to be guests of our Polish counterpart, Akademia Młodych Uczonych Polska Akademia Nauk.
In preparation for the meeting, a country report was compiled. Former member Ewa Machotka, professor of art history at Stockholm University and raised in Krakow, opened with a greeting that highlighted the hospitality, which is heartfelt and occasionally bordering on overwhelming. The Young Academy of Sweden thoroughly enjoyed the phenomenon.
Andreas Nord, associate professor in biology at Lund University, presented the Young Academy of Sweden, and Marzena Smol-Aruszanjan, associate professor and professor of geology at the Polish Academy of Sciences, presented the Young Academy of Poland, which was inaugurated in 2010. We compared the structure, membership and activities of our respective academies. Both academies gather younger, prominent researchers from all fields. Interdisciplinary exchange, outreach activities, the conditions of research, and conferences on research are present in both. The Young Academy of Poland also actively works on gender equality, in the project Doskonałość Naukowa nie ma Płci – Scientific excellence has no gender.
A fundamental difference between the organisations is the degree of independence. The Polish mother academy finances and appoints the members of the Young Academy of Polan and partially assigns them projects. Independence is therefore low compared to Young Academy of Sweden, which has been independent since 2013, has its own election process, and controls the content of its activities.
Throughout the meeting, there was a desire to learn from each other – not least on issues of how young researchers can organise themselves and work to make the greatest possible contribution from their unique position.
The overarching questions about academic freedom and security took several forms during the meeting – from discussions on how the research systems in Sweden and Poland are structured and funded, to reflections on the changing academic landscape in Europe and the world.
Together we discussed alternately divided into smaller groups and all together under the leadership of Young Academy of Sweden’s Lisa Hellman, professor of global history at Lund University and the Young Academy of Poland’s Andrzej Katunin, an associate professor in mechanical engineering at Silesian University of Technology.
A special session was held with Professor Paweł Rowiński, Chair of ALLEA – All European Academies – and was dedicated to how young academies can contribute to the European conversation about the role of science in society.
Paweł Rowiński emphasised that ALLEA has a large platform. They can organise and convey messages from the member academies. For example, a statement was made in February regarding the threat to academic freedom due to developments in the USA, in which Young Academy of Sweden was one of over 160 signing academies. However, proposing initiatives for individual academies is not ALLEA’s role, Paweł explained. The session was led by Young Academy of Sweden’s Elham Rostami, a neurosurgeon and associate professor in neuroscience at Uppsala University, and Young Academy of Poland’s Łukasz Sadowski, associate professor and head of the Department of Materials Science at Wrocław University.
The format for the scientific presentations is simple yet effective: three to four researchers share their research for ten minutes each, with each presentation followed by five minutes of questions and discussion. Popular science and variety define the content. The presentations reflect the wide range: different subject fields, institutions, and perspectives come together. The chairperson of the academy keeps time and moderate. Here, one of the academy’s fundamental ideas becomes most tangible – when researchers meet across borders and engage with a mosaic of research, methods, work practices, and diverse research cultures. Seeing how others think, work, and test – outside the silos of one’s own field – is something rare today. Here that opportunity is presented.
The conversational format is relaxed, with refreshments and snacks within reach. It often becomes one of the absolute highlights of the academy meeting. At the presentations in Warsaw, the Young Academy of Poland spontaneously expressed their desire to adopt the concept.
Four researchers gave scientific presentations:
The chair of the Academy Sofia Lodén, professor of French at Stockholm University, introduced Johannes Danielsson, deputy ambassador at the Swedish Embassy in Warsaw, who visited the meeting and educated the academy about present-day Poland and the embassy’s work.
Young academies can help to highlight and strengthen the role of research in international relations, particularly by promoting science diplomacy.
Sofia Lodén, chair, professor of French at Stockholm University
The history and geographical location, where the lack of support from the Allies during the German occupation in 1939 and today’s very complicated border with Russia play a defining role.
Regarding research exchange, the Swedish embassy in Warsaw has no science attaché. Research was however present in the joint declaration, signed by the heads of government of both countries at Harpsund in 2024 “Strategic partnership between Poland and Sweden”, whereas innovation; “smart, green and digital industrial policy” was mentioned.
As always at our Academy meetings, the working groups delved into their respective activities and the academy discussed and made decisions. Some initiatives are running concurrently in several groups at the same time and members move between meeting rooms as needed. One example is a relatively new project on sabbaticals for researchers at Swedish universities. Here, the preparation groups for research policy and international operations collaborate.
The academy made decisions on our new strategy for international activities, a project that has been ongoing this last year. The nomination committee’s proposal for a new academy management for 2025–2026 was also approved. The working group for outreach activities planned for our large, annual conference, Unga Akademins Dag, which this year will take place on 23 October with the theme “Research as a Bridge Builder.” It looks fantastic!
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