Uni4Democracy – Academic Freedom & Democracy under Pressure: A Berlin–Belgrade Dialogue

In Southeast Europe—particularly in Serbia—academic freedom and the democratic role of universities are increasingly under political pressure. Recent student protests at the University of Belgrade (UB) have highlighted the central importance of universities as spaces for democratic debate and civic engagement. The University of Belgrade and Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin (HU) have cooperated closely for many years within the European University Alliance Circle U., especially in the Knowledge Hub on Democracy. Joint activities such as summer schools, panel discussions, and dialogue programmes have created strong networks and lasting structures for academic exchange.

The project “Uni4Democracy – Academic Freedom & Democracy under Pressure: A Berlin–Belgrade Dialogue” responds to the documented decline of academic freedom in Serbia (Academic Freedom Index). Its aim is to develop strategies for safeguarding university autonomy, strengthening democratic values, and supporting the societal role of higher education institutions when operating under political pressure.

The project consists of three core components:

Two three-month fellowships (summer semester 2026) for early-career and senior scholars from UB, who will conduct research at HU and offer a hybrid teaching module.

A hybrid teaching format—either a seminar or block seminar—open to students from both universities, addressing academic freedom, democracy, and institutional resilience.

A five-day dialogue workshop in Berlin involving 10 students and early-career researchers from HU and UB, together with civil society actors. In addition, 5 students from partner universities in the Western Balkans—already involved in the 2022 HU “Think and Do Dialogue: Universities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals”—will participate. The workshop will produce joint, practice-oriented recommendations for protecting academic freedom and democratic structures, culminating in a published policy brief.

Project sustainability is ensured through integration of the hybrid course into the regular curriculum at both universities, continuation of the dialogue format within Circle U., involvement of further Western Balkan partners, and the open-access publication of all results. The project aims to strengthen long-term academic cooperation and democratic resilience in the region.