image: Heide Ahrens, Secretary General of the DFG, Moacyr Ayres Novaes Filho, professor at FFLCH-USP and coordinator of the panel, and Murilo Gaspardo, from UNESP
Credit: Elton Alisson/Agência FAPESP
The world is going through a critical moment of polycrises, characterized by climate change, growing economic and social inequalities, geopolitical instability and the advance of illiberal democracies. At the same time, the institutions responsible for finding solutions to these and other crises have failed to act, facilitating the rise of nationalist and populist leaders who, once in power, exacerbate the deadlocks in global governance.
To meet these challenges, science diplomacy will become even more necessary. However, at a time when it is most needed, scientific freedom also faces threats and challenges, said Murilo Gaspardo, professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at São Paulo State University (UNESP), at its campus in Franca, Brazil, in a lecture presented during FAPESP Week Germany.
“At a time when the world needs international cooperation the most, it’s become more difficult because the problems are planetary in scale and global governance is at an impasse. Something similar is also happening with science diplomacy, which is more necessary than ever to respond to global challenges, but there are a number of threats to scientific freedom in the world today,” Gaspardo told.
According to the researcher, who coordinates a FAPESP-funded Thematic Project on the crisis of democracy and institutional legal arrangements, one of the threats to scientific freedom is illiberal and authoritarian governments.
In Brazil, for example, during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), scientific freedom was challenged by disregard for the autonomy of federal universities, restrictions on research funding, and symbolic attacks on science and scientists, Gaspardo said.
“Fortunately, Brazilian institutions proved resilient. The judiciary defended the protection of freedom of expression and university autonomy, and civil society and the press also played an important role in defending science,” he pointed out.
According to the researcher, in the state of São Paulo, FAPESP has played and continues to play a crucial role in defending and guaranteeing the conditions for scientific freedom. “This is due to the commitment of its leadership, its broad public recognition and its legal institutionalization, including the constitutional guarantee of funding,” he said.
The United States, meanwhile, faces an even more complex challenge at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, the researcher pointed out. “What can we expect from the resilience of American institutions in defending scientific freedom? How will this process affect scientific freedom around the world?” he asked.
Economic power and social media
Economic power also poses a threat to scientific freedom, Gaspardo pointed out. Partnerships with companies and private foundations are beneficial and necessary for scientific and technological progress. But the scientific agenda should not be driven by private interests, he reflected.
“Just as scientific freedom requires protecting the autonomy of scientists and research institutions from non-liberal governments, it must also remain independent from economic power. This underscores the essential role of public investment,” he argued.
Another new challenge to scientific freedom is digital information technologies and social media, Gaspardo said.
While they are valuable tools for scientific research and the dissemination of discoveries, they have also been used to threaten and intimidate scientists, spread disinformation, and undermine the authority of scientific knowledge, he pointed out. “Critical thinking and scientific progress cannot flourish under fear and intimidation.”
The researcher reflected that in the current world scenario, science diplomacy has a crucial role to play in promoting cooperation among scientists in developing analyses and responses to global challenges, as well as in defending scientific freedom and the safety of researchers. But it will not be able to solve all the current problems on its own.
“As there are impasses in government diplomacy, science diplomacy has become even more important and indispensable. It’s perhaps the only rational channel of communication between countries today. The most important channel of conversation between Brazil and Germany today, for example, will be between academics, scientists,” he said.
Safe spaces
Science diplomacy can also provide “safe spaces” for scientists, pointed out Heide Ahrens, Secretary General of the German Research Foundation (DFG).
“A good example of this is the funding line for academic refugees that the DFG set up a few years ago,” she said.
Cross-border scientific interactions that address global challenges have great diplomatic potential, she pointed out.
“They can make a valuable contribution precisely because science is often the last issue to be discussed when there’s political disagreement or conflict, and the first when relations begin to thaw. This makes it exceptionally useful even in the most difficult diplomatic situations,” she noted.
In her opinion, conflicts and crises around the world have always had a negative impact on free research. Today, however, science is also facing a series of concrete political interference and targeted attacks on scientific freedom.
“This includes populist simplifications, fake news, and anti-scientific ideologies, as well as deep and sudden budget cuts, scientific espionage, and attacks on research and data infrastructures. There’s no doubt that the freedom of scientific research in most parts of the world has rarely been as threatened as it is today.”
She emphasized that it is precisely freedom from political, ideological, or religious restrictions that allows researchers to pursue their innate curiosity and epistemological thirst for knowledge without hindrance.
“This makes freedom of research and the independence of scientific organizations indispensable prerequisites for the discovery of new knowledge and the realization of innovative ideas that were previously unimaginable across the entire spectrum of possibilities. In short, scientific freedom is indispensable for the progress and well-being of economies and societies. Scientific freedom is therefore neither an end in itself nor a matter of routine – unfortunately, not even when it’s enshrined in the constitution, as it is here in Germany,” she said.