Academic freedom is intertwined with democracy – a Nobel Peace Prize could recognise this

Echoing the Stand Up for Science movement, which was organised in the US to defend academic freedom, a call to mobilise in France has been launched for Friday, March 7. Conferences, rallies and marches are being organised on the initiative of scientists united under the banner of Stand Up for Science France. The Conversation has been committed from the outset to supporting those who advance research.

March 7 has been recognised as the “Day of the Stand Up for Science Movement”, launched in 2017 in response to the anti-science actions of the first Trump administration. Under the second, attacks on scientists and scientific inquiry have escalated into a systematic assault – tantamount to a coup d’Etat against science itself.

While Donald Trump is often portrayed as erratic, his policies in this area have followed a consistent trajectory. His new administration has once again declared “war” on evidence-based national policymaking and science diplomacy in foreign affairs as evidenced by several early actions. Immediately after taking office, Trump issued executive orders freezing or canceling tens of billions in research funding.

All National Science Foundation projects have been halted pending review, while the National Institutes of Health faces suspensions under Health and Human Services directives. The US has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, alongside...

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