‘Passive suppression’ eroding academic freedom, ERC head warns

Academic freedom is under threat not only from direct political pressure but from subtler forces that discourage researchers from pursuing risky and creative ideas, the president of the European Research Council (ERC) has warned.  

Speaking at an event organised by the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara) on 5 March, Maria Leptin said research systems could gradually narrow even when there was no direct censorship.

“In recent years we’ve seen governments intervene directly in universities and research institutions,” she said, pointing to countries such as Hungary, where the government has taken control of many universities, and political pressure faced by institutions in the United States.

But she stressed that more subtle pressures can be just as damaging.

“Alongside active suppression, there’s a quieter process through which scientific freedom can narrow without formal prohibition or visible coercion. No scholar needs to be dismissed, no research topic must be formally banned. Yet the behaviour of researchers adjusts,” she said.

Leptin described this as “passive suppression”, where funding priorities and evaluation systems can influence what researchers end up choosing to study as governments often direct funding towards urgent issues such as climate change, energy security or technology.

“When a growing proportion of funding is channelled into predefined missions, scholars learn to frame their work in ways that align with those missions,” she said.

Leptin described watching her own postdoctoral researchers add lines to grant proposals suggesting their work might one day help cure cancer. “They’re twisting their own brains to describe something they’re doing for a completely different purpose,” she said. “It undermines the credibility of scientists.”

Over time, she warned, this can discourage riskier projects and reduce the diversity of ideas that research systems depend on.

Her comments come as policymakers across Europe debate how to balance curiosity-driven research with programmes designed to boost competitiveness and strategic priorities in the next research framework, known as FP10. 

The lecture was part of Cara’s annual Science and Civilisation series at the Royal Society. Cara, founded in 1933, supports academics forced to flee conflict or persecution.

Matt Foster, Cara’s chief executive, said the organisation’s work had become increasingly important as global pressures on researchers had grown.

“We are not just offering a way out of crisis, we are offering a way to keep flames of knowledge alive, and I’m continually impressed by the work our fellows do,” he told the audience.

“Cara fellows are truly on the front line of the defence and advancement of science and learning.”