Talks in Almedalen on conditions for research and education

During Almedalen Week, the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg will host two panel discussions in the garden of the building the university is renting in Visby. The first talk: Utsatt akademi – hur motverkar vi hot och trakasserier i svensk högskolesektor? is organised in collaboration with SULF, the Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers, and SUHF, the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions. Panel participants are Anna Frenzel, researcher at the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå), Sanna Wolk, chair of SULF, and Tora Holmberg, vice-chancellor of Umeå University.

‘We see that experiences of threats and harassment are common in the higher education sector, and this has consequences both for the individual and for which ideas can be expressed and move society forward. Now we need to talk about how we prevent vulnerability and develop support structures,’ says David Brax, author of the report and moderator for both of the Secretariat’s talks in the university garden.

As a basis for the talk, there's the report Victimisation in Swedish higher education institutions - A study of harassment, threats and violence against researchers and teachers (2024), produced in collaboration between the secretariat, SULF and SUHF. In time for this year´s Almedalen Week, SULF has also released a new report. It highlights the problem that so few victims report what they have experienced and points out that reporting needs to be made easier, safer and more meaningful. You can find the report on SULF's website (in Swedish): Hot och hat – varför anmäler inte universitetslärare och forskare? (2025).

Academic freedom and political governance

On Wednesday 25 June, immediately after the University of Gothenburg's lunch reception in the garden, we will discuss how research policy affects academic freedom, in the talk Forskningens frihet och trygghet - hur påverkar politisk styrning forskningens villkor?  The panel consists of Mats Benner, Professor of Research Policy at Lund University, Anna Ekström, Chair of the Board of Umeå University and former Minister of Education (S), Sari Nauman, Associate Professor of History at the University of Gothenburg and member of Humtank, and Stefan Svallfors, Professor of Sociology at the Institute for Futures Studies and Chair of the Human Rights Committee of Sweden’s Scientific and Literary Academies.

In recent years, the research policy debate has focused heavily on academic freedom. Attacks on and conflicts within academia are often described in this context. But what kind of academic freedom are we talking about? And why is freedom so important? Political investments in research often aim to address societal challenges, yet surveys show that political governance is perceived as the main threat to academic freedom.

“The worrying developments in the United States this spring have reminded us of the importance of protecting universities from political influence. But what exactly is the threat to academic freedom? And is all research policy a threat?” says David Brax.

The talks are held in Swedish, and are part of a series on the conditions for research organised by the Secretariat within the area of activity A free knowledge society.