Pillars of freedom: Safeguarding knowledge, building institutional resilience

In recent years, the world of science has been wrestling with a host of disruptive trends – be they geopolitical, cultural, economic or technological – which have placed its established modus operandi under growing pressure. In some parts of the world, universities have found themselves in the crosshairs of political and social movements that challenge the validity of scientific methods and knowledge, seek to restrict the parameters of teaching and intellectual discourse, and – in some instances – impose nationalistic security and sovereignty agendas.    

Unsurprisingly, research and education communities have begun to mobilise in defence of Wilhelm von Humboldt’s principles of ‘academic freedom’, which places the neutral pursuit of truth at the heart of all science, study and teaching. Yet two hundred years on from his groundbreaking treatise, the modern framing of ‘freedom’ has evolved considerably, encompassing the realities of international cooperation and research security, data management and access, defining and sharing ‘trustworthy’ knowledge, agreeing ‘safe spaces’ for public debate, and more besides. 

Given today’s rapidly changing and highly unpredictable environment, two related questions emerge: first, what can policymakers and legislators do to ensure that scientific enquiry and knowledge creation continue to underpin our economies and civic systems? And second, how should universities (and other research organisations) evolve to become more resilient in the face of these new realities?  

On the former, a critical step is to create a statutory definition of what is to be protected and defended. Until now, collective understanding of ‘academic freedom’ has evolved through a mix of norms, conventions and traditions – but never codified in legal terms. In this regard, the forthcoming European Research Area Act may provide a new set of foundations and guardrails, both for the EU’s domestic R&I community and for its global partners in science, technology and education. 

To answer the latter, however, one might draw on an icon from the birthplace of wisdom itself: the ancient Greek temple. Put more succinctly, it can be argued that, to adapt to the modern world, universities and research organisations must prioritise the essential ‘pillars of freedom’, namely their autonomy, their culture and practices, that they wish to uphold, and then define the conditions to protect them. These three pillars are interdependent. If one weakens, the others start cracking. Together, they sustain Europe’s reservoirs of knowledge and talent – the long‑term capacities that enable societies to innovate, adapt and remain resilient.  

In this context, several questions arise: What is the role of libraries and publishers as guardians and gateways to knowledge? What is the influence of digital technologies on academic freedoms? How do social sciences and humanities become essential in stewarding debates about trust, democracy and values? Those will be the key questions addressed in a high-level Science|Business roundtable, organised on 11 June 2026 in partnership with Elsevier and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).