Swedish academies on alert as US targets academic freedoms

The recent attacks by the Trump administration on United States higher education and research institutions – seen as global leaders in scientific research-based progress – have prompted the Swedish academic community to call on the government to strengthen constitutional and statutory protections for academic freedom.

In an article published in Curie on 25 February and based on an earlier joint statement, the Academies’ Committee for Human Rights, made up of representatives from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Young Academy of Sweden and the Swedish Academy, focus on threats to academic freedom that come from “more indirect” forms and can involve political parties which suspect research to be “politicised” or “ideological”.

“In this way certain types of research are refused funding. We have seen this happening in Turkey and Hungary and now also in the United States. But similar trends are found also elsewhere and are at risk of being spread,” the committee writes.

“We therefore urge the Swedish government to urgently strengthen the constitutional and statutory protections for academic freedom in Sweden. It also needs to state its unreserved support for academic freedom and emphasise the particular importance of preserving it in research collaborations with other countries,” the committee states.

In a separate press release, the Young Academy of Sweden, represented by assistant professor at Uppsala University Sigrid Schottenius Cullhed, said: “This is the right time to sharpen and recall how decisive academic freedom is. This is now more important than ever. In practice, this is the basic precondition for research to be undertaken in a world where academic freedom, in a scary way, is threatened and limited.”

A ‘golden opportunity’ for Sweden

Katarina Bjelke, Swedish Research Council director general, told University World News in an email that the council found the development of “restrictions in research in the US deeply disturbing” and said it was following developments to see “how we can ensure that established connections that exist between Swedish and American researchers can be maintained and developed”.

For some commentators, this means taking advantage of the threat to academic freedoms in the US to bring academics to Sweden.

Commenting in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 15 March, Lars Strannegård, president of the Stockholm School of Economics, wrote: “Academic freedom in the USA is now a thing of the past ... USA academics are now in the firing line when the Trump administration is taking on dismantling academic freedom at an accelerating rate.”

Opportunity to lure talent

However, he noted that the developments bring “a golden opportunity” or an “Einstein moment” for Sweden to attract top academics from the US.

“When the American universities are exposed to suffocation and ill will from the political top, their academics will start looking for other countries... In Sweden knowledge of English is good and the quality of life is high. In addition to making it easier for academics that apply to come to Sweden, the government and the private sector now should come together and establish a skills fund for strategic recruitment.

“From the incredible things happening in the US, a golden opportunity is emerging for Sweden. If we take united action, now we can vaccinate ourselves against authoritarian forces. Let us call it opportunism for the sake of democracy,” Strannegård wrote.

“Academic freedom today does not have sufficiently strong protection in Sweden. It should be manifested constitutionally,” he said, referring to the calls for academic freedom to be grounded in the Swedish constitution.

In a follow-up email, Hanna Flodmark, director of communications and marketing at the Stockholm School of Economics, said the “Einstein moment” was not something that can be clearly seen yet.

“Recruitment of senior academics is a slow process, and change will happen over time, not overnight.

“These decisions involve significant life changes, and many researchers take time to weigh their options carefully – as they should. What we are seeing now are the early signals of a shift, which may lead to more visible changes in the coming years.

“Regarding our PhD applications, we can see that the competition is much more fierce this year. The number of applications we received in 2025 were the highest ever at the PhD level, and the quality of the applicants was also higher than usual.”

Flodmark said so far, the country had not seen more applicants from the US than usual and stressed that the Einstein moment “is not just about recruiting from the US – it’s also about recruiting academic talent who might previously have set their sights on a career in the US – 95% of the applicants were from countries other than Sweden.

“What we want to do now is to highlight Sweden as a strong alternative for academics who are rethinking their future. Salary-wise, we know Sweden can't compete with the US.

“But we are known for a healthy work-life balance, equality, strong support for research, a stable democracy, and a collaborative academic culture. These are qualities many researchers value highly, especially in uncertain times”.

She said that even without major new funding from the government, Sweden already has many strengths to offer researchers looking for a “more predictable” and “open” work environment.

Responsible internationalisation

The issue of academic freedom has resurfaced more recently in Sweden in the context of debates around ‘responsible internationalisation’, which seek to balance global academic engagement against increasing research security risks.

In recent comments to University World News about the latest proposal for a national support structure to coordinate internationalisation in the Swedish higher education sector, Professor Ole Petter Ottersen, who has led two of the region’s most internationalised universities – the University of Oslo in Norway and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm – described international cooperation as the lifeblood of higher education institutions and societal development, arguing it should remain firmly anchored in institutional autonomy.

“A ‘national support structure’ would infringe on institutional autonomy and academic freedom if guidelines escalate to instructions or decrees,” he said.

Instead of a national support structure with marginal funding, he said a national (or Nordic) research centre on responsible internationalisation could be established.

Emphasising the importance of higher education retaining its autonomy, he said: “Such a center could explore risks, challenges, benefits, and opportunities for academic cooperation across sectors, regions, and disciplines and provide a sound evidence base for autonomous decision-making and competence-building in the individual higher education institutions.”

Regional recruitment possibilities

Highlighting the complexity of the current global landscape, Professor Svein Stølen, Norway’s University of Oslo rector, said: “It is a very demanding time for the global society at large and also for the idea of an open and sharing global academic society. The US has been the spearhead for research-based progress, and what we are now seeing in the US is really dramatic.

“It is dramatic for the US and the US as a powerhouse for research and technology. But it is also dramatic for scientific progress globally at a time in which we are experiencing huge global challenges related to climate, energy, inequality, etcetera.”

He added: “In this situation it would be wise to offer a safe harbour to some of the excellent scientists from excellent institutions in the US,” pointing to the fact that Norway and other European countries have also experienced budget cuts to the sector.

“The budget of the University of Oslo adjusted for inflation has been reduced by close to 7-8 % since 2019. In this situation it is demanding to find resources needed to secure positions for scientists from US institutions.

“Thus, a Nordic initiative would be very much welcome. It needs to secure long-term possibilities,” he noted.

Frede Blaabjerg, a professor in the Department of Energy Technology at Aalborg University and chairman of the Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy, told University World News he fully agreed on the need to protect academic freedom in the region.

“I also see a need for awareness about collaboration and the approach of responsible internationalisation [which] is a good way to go – research and innovation are truly international. The Nordic mindset and common values call for more initiatives in this area,” Blaabjerg said.

In Finland, Dr Erja Heikkinen, director of the Ministry of Education and Culture, told University World News that the Research Council of Finland, the ministry, and universities have discussed “means to provide career opportunities for researchers in the US and in other countries, where academics face limitations to academic freedom”.

She noted: “Preparations for swift funding instrument calls and exceptionally short time-to-decisions are ongoing.”

Moral obligation

Robert-Jan Smits, chair of the College of Management and president of Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, told University World News Europeans have a “moral obligation” to support US scientists that are at risk and see their academic freedoms violated.

“We should, in the first place, do it by expressing at the highest political level our shock that this is happening in ‘the country of the free’.

“Secondly, we should offer a safe haven in Europe to US scientists that want to leave”.

Smits said it was time for European Commissioner for Start-ups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva to revive ‘Destination Europe’, an activity aimed at recruiting US scientists in which he was involved during his time as director general at the European Commission.

He added: “The Dutch science minister, Eppo Bruins, just announced that he has asked the Dutch Research Council, NWO, to set up a dedicated fund to attract international top talent to the Netherlands.

“Although the United States is not mentioned explicitly, it is no coincidence that this comes at this very moment.”

However, Smits said it was “cynical” that the initiative came at a time when the minister was also imposing budget cuts on Dutch universities and several universities were being forced to lay off staff.