Following opening remarks by French Ambassador François Delattre, the panel discussion will feature Prof. Dr. Julia von Blumenthal, member of the Board of Directors of Berlin University Alliance and President of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Prof. Dr. Markus Hilgert, President of Universität der Künste Berlin; Prof. Dr. Pierre-Paul Zalio, President of Campus Condorcet, a research campus for the humanities and social sciences comprising Parisian universities, and Dr. Sevil Çakır, an independent researcher. The topics will include protection programs, institutional responsibility, and European cooperation. Prof. Dr. Andrea Fleschenberg dos Ramos Pinéu (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi (Universiti Malaya) will report on key findings from the workshop “(Re-)constructing Solidarity: Connecting Academic Freedom Worldwide,” while Prof. Jay Rowell (Centre Marc Bloch) will discuss the roundtable “Transnational Perspectives on Academic Freedom.” The event will be moderated by science journalist Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda. Online registration is requested. With this and numerous other events during the Berlin-Brandenburg Academic Freedom Week 2026, universities and research institutions invite participants to discuss protection, solidarity, and international cooperation in academia.

“Academic freedom is indispensable—not only for us here in Germany, but for the academic community as a whole. Currently, we see it under threat in many places and, at the same time, are reaching our limits in our efforts to provide individual assistance. This makes networks, exchange, and joint strategies all the more important. The Berlin-Brandenburg Academic Freedom Week is an important step in this direction,” says Prof. Dr. Julia von Blumenthal, member of the Board of Directors of the Berlin University Alliance and President of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

In addition to workshops, panel discussions, and cultural events, the action week offers an opportunity to share experiences from protection programs for at-risk scholars and artists—such as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp Schwartz Initiative or the German Academic Exchange Service’s (DAAD) Hilde Domin Programme and to discuss these programs with their representatives. Discussions will also focus on how European universities are addressing the growing restrictions on academic freedom worldwide and in Europe, and how academic cooperation can be maintained despite political crises.

Berlin University Alliance

Berlin University Alliance – a consortium of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin – positions Berlin as one of the world’s leading knowledge- and innovation hubs, where collaboration across disciplines and sectors is deeply integrated. Together, this ecosystem contributes to advancing major global transformations. Berlin University Alliance is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and the State of Berlin under the German Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments.

Further Informationen

• on the Academic Freedom Week 2026

Press Contact

• Suhana Reddy, Head of Communication of Berlin University Alliance, Email: suhana.reddy@berlin-university-alliance.de