On 9 and 10 April 2026, over 350 researchers, research managers and representatives of politics got together at the Philipp Schwartz Forum in Berlin, organized annually by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. On the occasion of the programme’s tenth anniversary, experts from academia, administration and the political arena discussed the challenges facing academic freedom as well as measures to protect researchers at risk.
Scientists and scholars, who are subject to considerable, sustained personal threat in their own countries, can continue their work in Germany with the help of a fellowship under the Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp Schwartz Initiative. Almost 150 German universities and research institutions have hosted over 670 researchers from 31 countries, including hundreds of Ukrainian researchers who had to flee the full-scale war waged by russia against their country.
One panel gave a word to the Philipp Schwartz Fellows from Sudan and Ukraine, together with academic mentors, who addressed the question as to what sustainable, productive cooperation can look like. On another panel, researchers from Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine reported on their experiences of the diaspora.
Please note: the PSI call for fellowship nominations is open till 21 August 2026!