21 november 2025
On 3–4 December, the Young Academy of Sweden bring together young academies and researchers from four continents for a two-day meeting in Stockholm to explore how academic freedom can be protected and strengthened in times of political, economic and ecological uncertainty.
Stockholm City Hall Photo: Kevin Jiner/Unsplash
Participants from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas – including colleagues from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa, USA, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Norway, Scotland, and the Netherlands – will examine how academic systems respond under pressure and what forms of collaboration can contribute to resilience. Political governance and economic influences take centre stage, alongside sessions on public engagement, structural safeguards, and the wider international landscape.
Juan C. Rocha, who initiated and will host the meeting on behalf of the Young Academy of Sweden, highlights a growing momentum behind new cross-continental partnerships:
There is a great deal of energy around this gathering. We are now establishing direct links with young academies in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, and this opens up new possibilities for learning from one another and for defending academic freedom together.
Juan C. Rocha, Associate Professor in Environmental and Sustainability science at Stockholm University
Photo: Lars Pehrson/Young Academy of Sweden
A central element of the programme will be the presentation of the Stockholm Charter for Academic Freedom, along with examples of coordinated action already emerging across the Baltic region. Breakout labs will then translate shared principles into concrete proposals for joint initiatives.
The conference is supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundations and the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond).
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