The EU-funded ‘Academic Refuge’ project aimed to improve the capacity of European universities to assist refugees and threatened academics on campus and to promote understanding and respect for higher education values.
The full title of the project: An Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership to Promote Core Academic Values and Welcome Refugees and Threatened Academics to European Campuses
Project Acronym: Academic Refuge
Project period: September 2016-August 2019 (3 years)
The two overlapping project objectives:
- Improve the capacity of European universities to assist refugees and threatened academics
- Promote greater respect for academic freedom and greater protection for higher education values
Alongside increasing the European universities’ capacity to support those who were forced to flee, there is an opportunity for European universities to work together with refugees and threatened academics to look to the longer-term. This combines efforts such as the Academic Dugnad with the long term work of Scholars at Risk.
This project will raise greater awareness of the importance of academic freedom to a healthy higher education sector, the consequences for society at large when such freedom is repressed, and the steps we can take as a sector to protect higher education values.
Academic Refuge work packages:
1. Development and implementation of a Staff training on Welcoming Refugees and Threatened Academics to European Campuses
The Pilot Staff training took place in Oslo 19-23 June 2017 (Report, PDF)
2. Development and implementation of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on academic freedom and higher education values (launch 4 June 2018, next course starts 28 Oct 2019)
Course page on Futurelearn where you can register for the MOOC
3. Development of an electronic handbook on putting higher education values into practice (June 2019) Promoting Core Higher Education Values; Perspectives for the Field
Contact information
University of Oslo
Marit Egner, Project coordinator
Scholars at Risk
Sinead O'Gorman, European Director
UNICA
Aurelie Duchateau, Project and Communication Officer
University of Ljubljana
Andreja Vezovnik, Assistant Professor
ERASMUS+ database
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MOOC: Dangerous questions - Why Academic Freedom Matters
What is the course about?
Scholars and students around the world ask questions; questions about the environment; questions about health; questions about poverty and development; questions about justice; questions about truth. And the answers to these questions affect all of society.
But sometimes asking questions can be dangerous. Academic freedom protects the right to ask sensitive, even dangerous questions. Not just scholars' questions, but the freedom for you to think and ask questions that really matter.
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for students and staff in higher education, and is also relevant for anyone interested in asking critical questions. In its first run in June the course brought together participants from 98 countries. Join our global conversation about academic freedom!
The next courses start 24 August 2020 and 1 march 2021. You will have access to the course for 12 weeks after the start date.
Resources
Training material from the Project
(Animations, video clips and publications)
Academic Dugnad UiO
Academic Dugnad UNICA
Refugees Welcome map, EUA
Scholars at Risk
Academic Freedom Monitor, SAR
EAIE blogs about refugees
Promoting Core Higher Education Values - perspectives from the field
The Academic Refuge Project compiled inspiring practices describing how academic values are emphasized, protected and put into practice at higher education institutions around the world as part of an electronic handbook on promoting core higher education values.
The handbook can be downloaded in an interactive PDF
Media coverage
EAIE blog: Core Values in our everyday work (2018)
The Guild blog: High Risk Questions (2018)
EAIE blog: Dangerous Questions: Why not keep quiet? (2018)
IAU Horizons Vol 22:2 on Academic freedom incl. piece on the Academic Refuge Project (2018, PDF)
University World News, Marit Egner opinion piece (2017)
EAIE blog on Academic Refuge (2017)
Newsletter from the Norwegian EU delegation (2016, Norwegian)
Final Event 13-14 June 2019
ACA and UNICA organised a joint stakeholder event at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels on behalf of their project teams – GREET and Academic Refuge. The event, titled Higher Education Values in Practice - Integration of highly skilled refugees and at-risk academics in Europe, focused on academic values and the role of Europe’s higher education community in supporting students and scholars with refugee background and academics at risk.
The event included the launch of the e-handbook: "Values in Higher Education; Perspectives from the Field" and news about new initiatives after the end of the two projects.
Passed event 2018
Dangerous Questions: Why Academic Freedom Matters
Event description: This event will was a launch of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): Dangerous Questions - Why Academic Freedom Matters available from 4 June 2018.
Time and venue: 13 June 2018, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Target audience: Higher education staff and students, representatives of government and non-governmental organisations from Southern and Eastern Europe. General Public.
Passed events June 2017
Academic Refuge: The Role of Universities in Turbulent Times, UiO, Norway
19-23 June 2017: Staff training week, UiO, Norway
Two modules:
- Understanding Academic Freedom and Related Higher Education Values
- Welcoming Refugees and Threatened Academics on Campus
Partners
Associated partners
Media Partners
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