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Berlin-Brandenburg Academic Freedom Week

Amid unpredictable geopolitical shifts, the commitment to academic freedom faces increasing pressure—including across Europe. Scholars remain under threat in many countries due to their research, identity, or political stance. Initiatives and institutions worldwide are working to counter the erosion of academic freedom. They raise awareness, promote solidarity, and advocate for concrete protection mechanisms and sustainable programs for scholars, artists, and students at risk.

Established at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in 2022, Academic Freedom Week is an event series that seeks to create visibility and commitment to the protection of scholars at risk. It was conceived as a space where academic freedom is reflected upon by researchers, artists at risk, and actors from higher education administration and politics. This page is dedicated to documenting the learnings and outputs from the event series and showcasing the next Academic Freedom Week program as it becomes available.

Exhibition Opening: Standing for FreedomCabaret Evening with La Bouche and The Velvet CreepersAcademic Freedom Week 2025Panel Discussion as part of Academic Freedom Week 2025Closing Remarks at Academic Freedom Week 2025

Academic Freedom Week in 2026

In 2026, the initiative expanded into Berlin-Brandenburg Academic Freedom Week (BBAFW).

This year’s BBAFW kicked off a collaborative effort between the Scholars at Risk Section Berlin-Brandenburg and the Berlin University Alliance, together with European and international scientific and cultural partners, to strengthen engagement with academic freedom within and beyond scientific communities.

The Week takes place on an annual basis, fostering a transnational, transdisciplinary, and multi-stakeholder dialogue on academic freedom.

Rapporteur from the Berlin Center for Global Engagement

Associate Prof. Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi (University Malaya) reports on the Berlin Center for Global Engagement workshop, "(Re-)Construction Solidarity - Academic Freedom Initiatives Worldwide," on 19 May, 2026

Retrospective: 2026 Event Program

Berlin-Brandenburg Academic Freedom Week 2026 consisted of events from May 18-22 hosted by organizers across the city. Below is an overview of the week's program.

This one-day workshop, conducted by Dr. Anne Schreiter, supported international researchers in planning their career steps within or beyond academia in Germany. Participants reflected on their strengths, values, and goals and learned how to connect these to real opportunities in different sectors. A key focus was on defining and communicating a clear professional message – and adapting it to diverse audiences such as academic institutions, research organizations, or potential employers. The session also covered networking, visibility, and useful resources for further exploration, helping participants shape an authentic and adaptable career strategy. Dr. Anne Schreiter is the managing director of GSO* – Guidance, Skills & Opportunities for Researchers e.V., an independent non-profit organization in Berlin that supports researchers in their career paths. She earned her doctorate in organizational sociology at the University of St. Gallen and conducted research at UC Berkeley. As a certified systemic coach, she designs programs and workshops on career planning within and outside academia and is a member of the advisory boards of the German Postdoc Network, Network Science Management, and the Kohli Foundation for Sociology.

Title: Career Strategy for Academia and Beyond: A Seminar for International Academics

Organizer: Technische Universität Berlin / TU Berlin Corporate

Date and time: Monday, May 18th

Location: KiezLab, Tamara-Danz-Str. 13, 2nd floor, 10243 Berlin

Format: In-person

Standing for Freedom: Portraits of Scientists in Exile (or Poser pour la liberté) is a traveling exhibition created by Pascale Laborier and photographer Pierre-Jérôme Adjedj, documenting the experiences of 55 academic researchers forced into exile. It uses transparent photographic techniques to highlight the intersection of their personal stories and professional lives. On May 18th, both Pascale Laborier and Pierre-Jerome Adjedj opened the exhibition at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin with a guided tour. The opening featured contributions from HU Professors and Co-directors of HU Berlin Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research Prof. Aileen Edele & Prof. Pauline Endres de Oliveira, and Prof. von Steinsdorff (Department of Social Sciences).

Organizer: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Date and time: Monday, May 18th, 4-6 p.m.

Location: Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin – Main Foyer

Event format: In person

Over the past decade, universities in Berlin and Brandenburg have welcomed a large number of at-risk scholars. Their flight and exile in Berlin tell stories not only of the geopolitical conflicts of our world but also of the suppression of academic freedom and free speech, of research under threat, and of courage in science. They also highlight the often arduous journey of rebuilding an academic life in Berlin—a journey that at-risk scholars undertake together with the supporting universities. In a panel consisting of two separate parts, this event brought together scholars from Afghanistan, Belarus, Georgia, Palestine, Turkey and Sudan. Beyond each personal narrative we explored the transnational dynamics of knowledge production in times of forced mobility and the state of academic freedom – both here and there – in times of geopolitical disruptions.

with:

Sevil Çakir (Independent Scholar)

Giorgi Meladze (Freie Universität Berlin)

Kahlid Mohammedsalih (Freie Universität Berlin)

Khadija Rahmany (Freie Universität Berlin)

Abed Schokry (Technische Universität Berlin)

Liudmila Tsarova (Europa Universität Viadrina)

Florian Kohstall (Freie Universität Berlin)

Event title: Journeys of Scholarship at Risk

Organizer: Freie Universität Berlin

Date and time: May 19th, 9:30-11:30

Location: Freie Universität Berlin, Seminarzentrum (Silberlaube), Otto-von-Simson Str. 26, 14195 Berlin, Room L 115

Format: In-person

A key challenge in advancing academic freedom is fostering inter- and transnational exchanges that allow for sharing experiences and mutual learning. In response to the global rise of authoritarianism and closing spaces of critical scholarship, numerous regional initiatives, networks and coalitions have emerged in recent years. As part of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academic Freedom Week 2026 and in close cooperation with co2libri, the BCGE hosted an online workshop bringing together these international, transregional and interdisciplinary Academic Freedom Initiatives and Networks along with key science-policy actors. The workshop explored practical lessons on protecting academic freedom on a transnational and interdisciplinary level to map out and highlight repertoires and ways universities can actively support these efforts.

Event title: (Re)Constructing Solidarity: Connecting Academic Freedom Worldwide

Organizers: Berlin Center for Global Engagement (BCGE), Berlin University Alliance (BUA) and co2libri. Conceptual collaboration with Living Borderless Research Interaction (ZMO/FU/HU).

Date and time: May 19th, 12-4 p.m.

Format: Online workshop

Details: Upon invitation only

Geopolitical tensions and conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa increasingly affect international academic cooperation. Travel restrictions, political uncertainties, and legal frameworks can complicate research collaborations, mobility, and scholarly exchange—particularly when partner institutions are affected by crises. As part of Academic Freedom Week at TU Berlin, this round table brought together researchers and key university actors to share experiences from collaborations with partner institutions in the region and to discuss current challenges for international cooperation. The discussion focused on the possibilities universities have to support their partners when academic institutions are affected by crisis or conflict, and on how academic networks can be sustained in solidarity and collaboratively strengthened or rebuilt under such circumstances.

Event title: Academic Freedom under Pressure: Academic Cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa

Organizer: Technische Universität Berlin

Date and time: May 19th, 4-6 p.m.

Location: Straße des 17. Juni 135

Format: In-person, internal to TU Berlin

This intergenerational expert roundtable brought together scholars at different career stages to reflect on the promises and limitations of academic freedom in the context of field-based research. Panelists explored how religion, ethnicity, gender, nationality, language, and other aspects of identity influence access, safety, credibility, and vulnerability in the field. From navigating institutional review processes and state restrictions to building trust with communities and managing political sensitivities, the discussion examined mentorship, solidarity, and strategies for sustaining intellectual autonomy while maintaining ethical commitments to research communities in increasingly polarized and surveilled environments.

Event title: The Governance of Fieldwork: Minorities and Academic Freedom

Organizer: SCRIPTS

Date and time: May 19th, 4-6 p.m.

Location: Altensteinstr. 15

Format: Hybrid

The Universität der Künste Berlin and the Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, in cooperation with the Institut français Berlin hosted a film screening programme with a following Q&A and discussion round. The event focused on the themes of academic freedom, the culture of remembrance, migration, and the impact of war and political persecution on academics and artists.

The programme featured two short films:

My Grandmother is a Skydiver, Animated short film, 13 min, Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Director: Polina Piddubna

The Non-Monument, Short film, 13 min, Director: Yara Saleh

Both films explored issues of memory, identity and the consequences of political conflicts in different ways. Whilst *My Grandmother is a Skydiver* develops a cross-generational dialogue between the past and the present in the context of war, *The Non-Monument* examines the challenges of remembrance in the context of the ongoing conflict in Syria.

Following the screening and under the sensitive moderation of Paula Essam, Yara Saleh discussed the making of *The Non-Monument* and Mahla Mosahaneh, representing Polina Piddubna, spoke about *My Grandmother is a Skydiver*, the role of art and film in documenting social experiences, and the significance of personal and collective memory. The guests reflected on how works of art can create space for dialogue and on the challenges associated with portraying conflict, loss and identity. The discussion also touched on the symbolism in works that shed light on tragic events, taking Yara Saleh’s film as a starting point, in which the director used the image of an open umbrella to accompany the documentary footage. In addition, the discussion focused on the experiences of people who have been forced to leave their homelands and are now living in new cultural and social contexts. The discussion addressed the responsibility of artists to highlight different perspectives, as well as the importance of solidarity, exchange and international networks in times of political uncertainty.

The audience contributed with questions and comments, leading to an open exchange on the themes of the films and the overarching concerns of Academic Freedom Week.


Event Title: Academic and Artistic Freedom in the Context of Conflict and War: Film Screening and Q&A

Organizers: Universität der Künste Berlin & Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF in cooperation with the Institut Français Berlin

Date and time: May 19th, 6-7:30 p.m.

Location: Cinema Paris, Kurfürstendamm 211, 10719 Berlin

Format: In person

This event brought together experts and researchers to examine the challenges facing academic freedom in global and European contexts. The day began with a keynote from Stephanie Balme (Sciences Po Paris), presenting insights from her report Defending and Promoting Academic Freedom: A Global Issue, an Urgent Matter for France and Europe, followed by a Q&A session. Roundtable 1 (2:15–3:30 pm) focused on the forces eroding academic freedom worldwide, with case studies from different countries and regions in the world. Discussions explored methods used to curtail academic freedom and the individual and collective responses from academia. Roundtable 2 (3:45–5:00 pm) examined the experiences of scientists and researchers in Franco-German research centres operating in illiberal political contexts. The conversation highlighted the challenges for European research structures, their potential to foster resistance in host countries, lessons for Western Europe, and insights into strengthening capacities for academic freedom under pressure.

Event title: Roundtables: Transnational Perspectives on Academic Freedom

Organizer: Centre Marc Bloch

Date and time: May 20th, 1-5 p.m.

Location: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Senatssaal

Format: In person

Advocating for academic freedom and implementing programmes to host at-risk scholars and artists bring fundamental challenges into focus: how resilient are universities, and are they able to provide safe and supportive environments? This panel discussion with university presidents from Berlin and Paris explored protection programmes for at-risk scholars and asked how higher education institutions can safeguard freedom, solidarity, and openness under pressure.

   

   Welcome address

   The French Ambassador to Germany, François Delattre

   Introductory reflections

   Prof. Dr. Andrea Fleschenberg dos Ramos Pinéu (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) 

   Associate Prof. Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi (Universiti Malaya) 

   Prof. Jay Rowell (Centre Marc Bloch) 

   Discussion

   Prof. Dr. Julia von Blumenthal (President, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

   Dr. Sevil Çakır (independent researcher)

   Prof. Dr. Markus Hilgert (President, Universität der Künste Berlin) 

   Pierre-Paul Zalio (President, Campus Condorcet) 

   Chair

   Jan-Martin Wiarda


Event title: Academic Freedom at Risk: European Universities between Resilience and Responsibility

Organizer: Berlin University Alliance

Date and time: May 20th, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Location: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Senatssaal

Format: In person

Since 2021, the "Hilde Domin Programme" funded by the German Federal Foreign Office has enabled at-risk students and doctoral candidates from all over the world to pursue their studies or doctoral research at a German university in a safe environment. During the event, we jointly reflected on the successes and challenges of the past years. By discussing academic freedom and presenting personal accounts from current and former scholarship holders, we aimed to underscore the solidarity necessary to safeguard academic freedom and highlighted the societal and economic value that welcoming at-risk students brings to Germany.

Event Title: Wege der Hoffnung - Fünf Jahre Hilde Domin-Programme / Pathways of Hope - Five Years of the Hilde Domin Programme

Organizers: Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD)

Date and time: May 21st

Location: Berliner Freiheit (Berliner Freiheit 2, 10785 Berlin)

Format: In person

Two cabarets, La Bouche (Paris) and The Velvet Creepers (Berlin), took part in a joint artistic residency at the Institut français Berlin. Over ten days, the artists developed new forms of contemporary cabaret blending music, drag, burlesque, performance art, and elements of new circus. This meeting brought together two complementary aesthetics: Berlin’s spectacular, politically engaged scene and Paris’s powerful, music-driven cabaret with a distinct queer voice. The exchange delivered fresh, creative energy and an experimental Franco-German signature. Cabaret has always been a space of freedom, a place for satire, dissent, and questioning social norms. By celebrating queer visibility, artistic risk-taking, and the right to speak freely, this project embodied the core values of Academic Freedom Week. Here, artistic freedom and academic freedom met in a shared space of critical thought and creative expression. The residency concluded with a public cabaret performance on May 22nd, 2026, closing Academic Freedom Week with a unique Franco-German co-creation that reimagined cabaret for today and highlighted its political and artistic relevance.

Event title: Cabaret Evening

Organizer: Insitut Francais Berlin

Date and time: May 22nd at 8 p.m.

Location: Boris Vian Hall – Institut Francais Berlin, Kurfürstendamm 211, 10719 Berlin

Format: In person

Details: Registration required with 20€ (15€ reduced) entry fee. Spots can be reserved online.

As part of the Academic Freedom Week, the BUA Postdoc Academy offered confidential, 45-minute, one-on-one coaching sessions for Scholars at Risk. Who was this for? Researchers whose lives, freedom, or well-being are under threat and who face heightened uncertainty about their future. Sessions topics included career transitions, funding or contract insecurity, professional goals, CV feedback, and other career-related matters. The sessions were led by Ulrike Schneeberg, PhD, coach and trainer specialising in academic career transitions and reflective leadership.

Title: Career Coaching for Postdocs at Risk

Organizer: BUA Postdoc Academy

Date and time: Ongoing throughout the week

Format: Hybrid

Berlin-Brandenburg Academic Freedom Week 2026 Organizers

Main Organizers: Scholars at Risk Berlin-Brandenburg | Berlin University Alliance

Participating Institutions (alphabetical): Bard College | Berlin Center for Global Engagement | BUA Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS | BUA Postdoc Academy | Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Centre Marc Bloch | DAAD: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst | Établissement public Campus Condorcet | Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) | Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF | Freie Universität Berlin | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Institut Francais Berlin | Technische Universität Berlin | Universität der Künste Berlin | Universität Potsdam

With the support of: Ambassade de France en Allemagne | Berlin University Alliance | Institut Francais Deutschland | Philipp Schwartz-Initiative

2026 Organizers

Academic Freedom Week Organizers

Academic Freedom Week Organizers

Contact

For general inquiries write to: int.events(at)hu-berlin.de

For press inquiries write to: hu-presse(at)hu-berlin.de