Academic freedom in the Netherlands under pressure

Of course, the KNAW is concerned about the consequences of Donald Trump’s attack on science. But academic freedom is also threatened in the Netherlands, as stated in a report released on thursday by the KNAW.

Due to significant government cuts, researchers must increasingly seek funding from other sources, such as businesses, or conduct research on behalf of governments, the report states. This means that ‘the risk of influence increases’. In other words, researchers may feel pressured to align with the interests of their funders.

The KNAW also criticises the new law on Internationalisation in Balance. The minister aims to reduce English-language education, but according to the KNAW, universities lose part of their autonomy if they are not allowed to determine the language of instruction themselves.

Furthermore, the report states that the systematic screening of staff and students who come into contact with ‘sensitive knowledge’ goes too far. The cabinet wants to implement this to improve knowledge security, but like the universities, the KNAW believes this infringes too much on academic freedom.

Moreover, the ‘polarisation and hardening of public debate’ poses problems for researchers. An earlier published monitor by the KNAW shows that researchers (particularly women and young researchers) are regularly intimidated or threatened, especially when they speak out on sensitive topics such as climate change, (de)colonisation, and the war between Israel and Hamas. This often occurs online.

Fear of intimidation can lead to academic self-censorship. Other research indicates that some researchers have applied self-censorship multiple times in the past three years, according to the KNAW.

One of the proposed solutions in the report is regulating social media. According to the report authors, the government has a responsibility ‘to effectively combat harmful online content’.

However, even within the academic community, social safety (and thus academic freedom) is not sufficiently safeguarded. The prevailing hierarchy and pressure to perform mean that both staff and students feel restricted in what they can and cannot say.

The KNAW therefore calls on universities not to refuse external speakers solely based on their dissenting political or social views. There should be room for debate, after all.

Regarding (student) protests, the KNAW states that universities ‘should not only provide society with scientific knowledge’ but must also facilitate dialogue, ‘especially on controversial issues, such as the war in Gaza’. One of the authors, professor André Nollkaemper, previously advocated for sit-ins and lectures as a form of protest.

The European Commission recently announced that the EU seeks to formalise academic freedom in a new law. The KNAW is also now advocating for better legal protection.