Duration
08 Oct 2026 - 09 Oct 2026
Universities have long served as guardians of democratic values, human rights, and academic freedom. Today, however, these values face growing challenges. Democratic backsliding, political polarization, digital transformation, social media, artificial intelligence, restrictions and pressures on academic freedom increasingly shape the environment in which students and academics learn, teach, and conduct research.
While much of the debate has focused on institutions and senior academic leadership, far less attention has been given to the perspectives of the next generation of scholars. How do students, doctoral candidates, and early-career academics experience these developments? What opportunities and responsibilities do they see for themselves in defending academic freedom? How can universities, student organizations, and public institutions better support them?
This symposium brings together students, young academics, university leaders, policymakers, and international experts to explore these questions. Through keynote lectures, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and breakout sessions, participants will examine both the challenges and the opportunities for safeguarding academic freedom in contemporary higher education.
This symposium is the third in a series of activities on Academic Freedom, initiated by the Inter University Centre Dubrovnik (IUC). On October 10 2025 a first explorative workshop, focussing on the relevance of academic freedom for development, was organised at the premisses of the EU in Zagreb for an international group of diplomats and academics. (https://iuc.hr/news/academic-freedom-for-national-and-regional-development). On April 23 and 24 2026 a second workshop held in Dubrovnik was titled Academic Freedom in Context: Trends in Threats and Coping Practices ( https://iuc.hr/news/academic-freedom-is-globally-under-pressure). A larger conference on the broader topic will be organized from September 22 to 24 2027 at the IUC in Dubrovnik.
PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME:
9.30 – 10.00 | Reception
10:00 - 10:20 Opening and Welcome
10:20 - 10:55 Keynote 1 (+ Q&A) - The State of Academic Freedom: concept, vision and realities
Christoph Kummel, DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (presence confirmed)
10:55 - 11:30 Keynote 2 (+ Q&A) - Academic Freedom from a Students' Perspective
Daciana Pop, President European Students Union (ESU) (confirmed)
11:30 - 12:00 Coffee Break & Networking
12:00 - 13:00 Plenary Discussion - Academic Freedom, Students Rights and the Future of European Higher Education
Participants:
Moderator:
Snježana Prijić-Samaržija (University of Rijeka)
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:00 Closed Breakout Sessions Round I: Sharing Experiences and Perspectives
Students and Young Academics Respond to Contemporary Challenges
Chair: Lana Par
15:00 - 15:10 Short Break
15:10 - 16:10 Closed Breakout Sessions Round II
World Cafe on Imagining the Future
Strengthening Academic Freedom / Developing Repertoires for Action
Chair: Lana Par
16:10 - 16:40 Coffee Break
16:40 - 17:40 Roundtable - From Discussion to Action. Bringing Student Perspectives to Policy
Student Perspectives, Action and Activisme (including Q&A)
Recommendations and Policy (including Q&A)
Chair: Paul Stubbs, Economic Institute Zagreb (confirmed)
17:40 - 18:00 Closing Reflections
Gunn Birkelund, Chair of the IUC Executive Committee
20:00 | Symposium Dinner
09:30 - 09:45 Opening and Welcome
09:45 - 10:25 Keynote 3 (+ Q&A) - How Academic Freedom Is Threatened – and How Resilience of Research Can Be Actively Strengthened
Christoph Kummel, DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (confirmed)
10:25 - 11:05 Keynote 4 (+ Q&A) - Universities as Places of Democratic Resistance
Gazela Pudar Draško (University of Belgrade) (confirmed)
11:05 - 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 12.10 Keynote 5 (+ Q&A) - Safeguarding Academic Freedom with the New Generation of Academics. Challenges and Opportunities for Studens and Early-Career Scholars
Daciana Pop, President, European Students' Union (confirmed)
12:10 - 13:00 Stakeholders Roundtable - The Value of Academic Freedom: From Values and Principles to Policies and Practices
Invited participants:
Representatives of diplomatic missions, Representatives of European institutions, University leadership International organizations, NGO's et cetera
13:00 – 13.30 Conclusion and Synthesis
Academic Freedom for the New Generation: Human Rights, Democracy and Responsibilities
Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Vice Chair of the IUC Council; former Rector, University of Rijeka
13.30 – 13.45 Closing remarks by the symposium organizers.
