Academic freedom, which is enshrined in Germany’s constitution, protects individual researchers as well as universities and other research institutions. At present, however, it is under pressure and is the subject of ongoing negotiation. Individuals and institutions face different challenges in this regard.
An interdisciplinary symposium that we organised with the support of the Berlin University Alliance made clear that universities, as academic institutions, not only deserve special protection but also bear a particular responsibility to defend the freedom of their researchers.
Fear of Negative Consequences
Although, according to a representative survey, a majority of researchers in Germany consider academic freedom to be secure (Fabian et al., 2025), researchers in certain fields report avoiding research topics for fear of negative consequences. Anti-academic discourse, personal attacks and defamation, both offline and online, can lead researchers to avoid controversial topics or public statements. Chilling effects can emerge particularly in strongly polarising areas, such as the situation in the Middle East: according to a recent study, a majority of researchers working on Middle East–related topics practise self-censorship (Grimm et al., 2025). Researchers in other areas and disciplines whose subject matter is – or becomes – politicised, such as Gender Studies, Climate Science or Migration Research, are also increasingly subjected to attacks (see, for instance, the statement by the Gender Studies Association). Dependence on third-party funding and fixed-term employment contracts further reinforce these practices of self-censorship. This is worrying insofar as such tendencies have the potential to shift and alter public discourse.
Effective Protective Mechanisms
Individual researchers can strengthen their resilience by forming alliances and seeking professional support – whether psychological or legal. Organisations such as HateAid or SciComm offer professional assistance. So far, practices of self-censorship in Germany are less pronounced than in other countries (cf. Spannagel & Kinzelbach, 2023). To ensure this remains the case, effective protective mechanisms against attacks on academic freedom must be developed not only by individual researchers but, above all, by academic institutions. Important steps in this direction include contextual guidance and recommendations for action for researchers, such as the professional-ethical guideline “Science and Freedom of Expression in the Public Sphere” issued by Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin. Moreover, universities should establish effective contact points that provide advice to researchers – whether in cases of concrete attacks or in situations of perceived self-censorship. Through such structural measures, academic institutions can make a targeted contribution to effectively safeguarding the freedom of research and researchers.
Prof Dr Aileen Edele and Prof Dr Pauline Endres de Oliveira are Directors of the Berlin Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research (BIM) at Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin.