Academic freedom: 25 years and counting

The (international) higher education community continues to grapple with the reality that academic freedom - long regarded as essential to open, democratic societies - remains vulnerable across the globe. Today, scholars face escalating pressures from political forces, censorship, and conflict, while institutions navigate increasingly complex ethical and geopolitical terrain. Scholars at Risk, an international network of higher education institutions and individuals working together to protect scholars and promote academic freedom, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026. A quarter century of defending the right to think, to question and to share ideas. But how has this work evolved? What does the landscape look like now, in 2026? And how can institutions and individuals meaningfully contribute to protecting academic freedom in their own contexts?

In this EAIE podcast episode, host Laura Rumbley speaks with Robert Quinn, founding Executive Director of Scholars at Risk. Together, they explore how SAR’s mission and activities have developed over the past 25 years, which achievements have been most meaningful, and the threats and opportunities shaping academic freedom today. Don’t miss this thoughtful and forward-looking conversation and tune into this episode of the EAIE Podcast.

About Robert Quinn 

Robert Quinn is a human rights advocate, lecturer, lawyer, and executive director of the Scholars at Risk Network, (SAR) an international movement of over 600 higher education institutions and thousands of individuals in over 50 countries dedicated to protecting at-risk scholars, promoting academic freedom, and defending everyone’s freedom to think, question and share ideas. Robert is a co-editor of Free to Think, SAR’s annual reports on attacks on universities worldwide; co-instructor on the free online course "Dangerous Questions: Why Academic Freedom Matters" (long-form MOOC course, with Futurelearn and short-form mini-course with Amnesty International); and the host of the Free to Think podcast, featuring conversations with inspiring people working at the intersection of power and ideas. 

Additional resources

For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Scholars at Risk – Free to Think
→ Supporting at-risk researchers in Europe
→ Encieh Erfani and Daniel Munier: What’s happening in Iran?
→ Sinead O’Gorman: Academic freedom in a complex world