What is the relationship between human rights and academic freedom? What is the relation between research security and academic freedom and how can we deal with possible tensions? Is academic freedom a conditio sine qua non for the functioning and productivity of higher education and research?

Questions like these will be addressed at the symposium on "Human Rights and Academic Freedom in Europe" in Berlin on 20 March 2024, jointly organised by the human rights committees of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. The event will center on two primary objectives: firstly, to explore the complex relationship between human rights and academic freedom, and secondly, to discuss the current state of academic freedom within Europe. Assessing existing challenges to academic freedom in Europe and formulating pragmatic strategies to uphold academic freedom for scientists and academics will be in the focus of the discussion.

The event is the 10th within the "Human Rights and Science" symposium series managed by the Human Rights Committee of the Leopoldina. It is followed by an internal meeting of European academy representatives on 21 March 2024.