READING TIME: 2 MINUTES
PHOTO: REYER BOXEM
RECORDED BY MARJAN BROUWERS
PROPOSITION
Anastasia Audrey – Medische Wetenschappen
‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’. (Wayne Gretzky, the Office)
How do we safeguard our academic freedom? That question has been on my mind constantly in recent months. The events that are taking place in academia in the United States since the arrival of President Trump are deeply concerning. American colleagues are explicitly forbidden to work on certain topics, and this censorship greatly worries me. That is why, now more than ever, it is important that we continue to safeguard our academic freedom and do not shy away from societal, politically sensitive topics.
At the same time, we should not let them get in our heads. While we prepare ourselves for the changes in the world, we conscientiously continue to do our work. We keep improving our agility while paying attention to the societal issues and transitions that we are both willing and able to contribute to. In doing so, we not only seek to connect with the world at large, but also focus on achieving a closer collaboration within our organization. Collaborating with other disciplines makes us that much stronger, something I have also experienced myself as a researcher.
I do worry about the increasing influence of some Big Tech billionaires on politics and academia. Conducting research is a costly business, and we can clearly see now how those billionaires in the US are heavily investing, usually with little regard for the ethical and moral effects. It seems that the power of money rules and that different perspectives and well-founded academic insights no longer count. We should, of course, never let this become our approach.
When it comes to the influence of money on academia, our stance is clear: every academic must stick to the facts. Of course, there are various viewpoints in academia and the corresponding academic debate, and it goes without saying that we respectfully discuss the exact problem definition with our partners. But when it turns out that your well-founded results do not please the funder, you must hold your ground. If you are unable to do so, it might be better not to undertake that research.
Perverse incentives are not new, but in this changing world order it is essential to underline once again what we as a University are all about: standing up for academic freedom and the independence of academics.
Jacquelien Scherpen
Rector Magnificus
READING TIME: 2 MINUTES
PHOTO: REYER BOXEM
PROPOSITION
Anastasia Audrey – Medische Wetenschappen
‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’. (Wayne Gretzky, the Office)
At the same time, we should not let them get in our heads. While we prepare ourselves for the changes in the world, we conscientiously continue to do our work. We keep improving our agility while paying attention to the societal issues and transitions that we are both willing and able to contribute to. In doing so, we not only seek to connect with the world at large, but also focus on achieving a closer collaboration within our organization. Collaborating with other disciplines makes us that much stronger, something I have also experienced myself as a researcher.
I do worry about the increasing influence of some Big Tech billionaires on politics and academia. Conducting research is a costly business, and we can clearly see now how those billionaires in the US are heavily investing, usually with little regard for the ethical and moral effects. It seems that the power of money rules and that different perspectives and well-founded academic insights no longer count. We should, of course, never let this become our approach.
When it comes to the influence of money on academia, our stance is clear: every academic must stick to the facts. Of course, there are various viewpoints in academia and the corresponding academic debate, and it goes without saying that we respectfully discuss the exact problem definition with our partners. But when it turns out that your well-founded results do not please the funder, you must hold your ground. If you are unable to do so, it might be better not to undertake that research.
Perverse incentives are not new, but in this changing world order it is essential to underline once again what we as a University are all about: standing up for academic freedom and the independence of academics.
Jacquelien Scherpen
Rector Magnificus
How do we safeguard our academic freedom? That question has been on my mind constantly in recent months. The events that are taking place in academia in the United States since the arrival of President Trump are deeply concerning. American colleagues are explicitly forbidden to work on certain topics, and this censorship greatly worries me. That is why, now more than ever, it is important that we continue to safeguard our academic freedom and do not shy away from societal, politically sensitive topics.
RECORDED BY MARJAN BROUWERS