Suspending academic cooperation is the right thing to do

The University of Oslo is now focused on the severe situation at hand: students and employees who are affected by the war, and also the many who will be forced to flee towards Europe. We are now initiating an active and strong "Academic dugnad for Ukraine." We will get back to this quickly. 

We must clearly show the Russian regime that the situation is unacceptable. Therefore we must suspend institutional academic cooperation. A time will come when we will resume and build on existing lines of connection. We have said it many times: Academia is global and we need researchers who collaborate broadly also with researchers in non-democratic countries. It is important for our research and also for Norway as a nation. We need considerable skills in language, culture, and knowledge about development in various societies. Our comprehensive university's strong competence has shown itself to be useful in many different crises.  

In the time until we again can warm up our institutional relations, it will be important to have dialogue and communication between researchers across borders. Many Russian researchers are strong opponents of Russia's politics, and they need access to our information about the development of the invasion. We need to maintain dialogue with those who bravely stand up against Putin's regime despite the risks it poses to them and their families.