Royal Netherlands Academy calls for academic freedom to be anchored in the Constitution

News Tank Academic - Brussels - News #457304 - Published on 15/10/26 at 16:00
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KNAW Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen - ©  all rights reserved

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has called for academic freedom to be enshrined in the constitution.

The KNAW published two reports on academic freedom on 14/10/2026, one dedicated to the legal safeguards for academic freedom and the other on freedom of expression in academia. In those documents, the KNAW stated: "Academic freedom should be anchored in the Constitution. That would make it less vulnerable to shifting political forces."

The report "Freedom anchored in law - Towards stronger legal safeguards for academic freedom" listed several causes of threats towards academic freedom in the Netherlands, such as the way in which research is funded in the country, government interference, the growing harassment of academics and the polarisation within universities…

©  all rights reserved
KNAW Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen - ©  all rights reserved

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