Stand Up For Science takes academic-freedom push to France

Stand Up for Science founder and CEO Dr. Colette Delawalla met with French lawmakers and spoke at Sciences Po in Paris this week as France moves to enshrine academic freedom in law. The visit adds to a broader transatlantic campaign to defend universities and science from political pressure.

Why it matters: - Academic freedom is becoming a cross-border political issue as leaders in the U.S. and Europe respond to pressure on universities and science. - Stand Up for Science is trying to build international support around freedom of inquiry, higher education and scientific discovery. - The trip comes as France advances a landmark effort to protect academic freedom in law.

What happened: - Dr. Colette Delawalla, founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science, traveled to Paris earlier this week. - Delawalla met with members of the French Senate and Deputies of the French National Assembly. - Delawalla discussed academic freedom, attacks on science in the U.S. and possible U.S.-France cooperation on democratic resilience. - Delawalla also spoke as an invited keynote speaker at Sciences Po, the Paris Institute of Political Studies. - Delawalla and Dr. Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, took part in a keynote roundtable at Sciences Po’s Center for International Studies, or CERI. - The CERI event was part of opening ceremonies for the new academic year on Sept. 15.

The details: - The French Senate passed a bill earlier this year to establish academic freedom as law. - The legislation follows far-right attacks on higher education in France and abroad. - Delawalla said ideas do not stay within national borders and that the organization wants to work with European colleagues to promote shared values around freedom of inquiry, academy and science. - Stand Up for Science said the meeting with French lawmakers was productive and reflected a shared view that attacks on one democracy affect all democracies. - Stand Up for Science recently released “America's Compact For Higher Education” in response to the Department of Education’s repeated attempts to push U.S. universities to align their policies with the current administration’s priorities. - The organization is asking the public to send the Compact to colleges and universities and urge leaders to endorse it. - The American Association of University Professors is among the early endorsers of the Compact.

Between the lines: - The Paris trip shows Stand Up for Science is positioning academic freedom as an international defense issue, not just a domestic U.S. fight. - The group is linking pressure on universities to broader concerns about democratic backsliding. - France’s legislative move gives the campaign a concrete policy example to point to as the organization works with European governments.

What's next: - Stand Up for Science expects to continue engagement with European governments to support academic freedom and scientific discovery. - The organization is continuing its campaign for endorsements of America’s Compact For Higher Education. - Delawalla is available for comment.