Academic freedom and democracy are not parallel values — they are interdependent. Where democracy weakens, academic freedom erodes. And where academic freedom is constrained, democracy itself is undermined. This is the central question that brought together policymakers, researchers and institutional...

Political science professor Svend-Erik Skaaning (Aarhus University, Denmark) will be the academic keynote speaker at the high-level conference “Academic Freedom in Support of Democracy” organised by the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) in the European House...

Seven of nine planetary boundaries have now been breached which means that humanity is pushing Earth's critical support systems beyond their safe operating limits.   The consequences are not distant threats but present realities: destabilized ecosystems, compromised food security, and mounting risks...

As the ongoing digital transformation leads to increased cybersecurity threats, the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) is organising a workshop on enhanced EU cooperation on cybersecurity in Brussels on 4 February 2026.   One of the speakers is Associate Chief...

As the European Union (EU) prepares the groundwork for the next Horizon Europe Framework Programme, many experts have been calling for the human and social dimension of progress to be better integrated into the EU’s research and innovation agenda. The STOA workshop ‘Humanities and social sciences at...

In the past year, tensions between the US administration and many major American universities – apparently revolving around « Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) » policies and the handling of student and faculty protests - have reached a critical point. From legislative restrictions on teaching and...

In the past year, tensions between the US administration and many of the major US universities have intensified, increasingly putting pressure on their academic freedom. Law professor David Rabban (University of Texas) thinks “it is important to push back against government intrusions into the intellectual...

From climate change to public health crises, the challenges facing Europe today demand decisions grounded in solid scientific evidence. Yet bridging the gap between research and policy-making remains a persistent challenge.   For nearly a decade, the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science...