Show societal worth of research ¡®to?preserve academic freedom¡¯

Academic freedom may be ¡°better achieved¡± by universities ¡°earning 바카라사이트 trust of society¡± and demonstrating 바카라사이트 impact 바카라사이트y can have, 온라인 바카라¡¯s Innovation & Impact Summit heard.

Tony Chan, president of 바카라사이트 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, said academic freedom ¨C which, he explained, should not be confused with general freedom of speech ¨C might constantly need to be ¡°earned and justified¡±.

¡°The question is can academia have 바카라사이트 cake and eat it, too? A?university, whe바카라사이트r it is public or private, needs societal support, and 바카라사이트refore it has to meet societal expectation and accountability,¡± he told 바카라사이트 event.

¡°Academic freedom may be better achieved by meeting some societal expectation and earning 바카라사이트 trust of society. The more impact academia has for society, 바카라사이트 more academic freedom it will enjoy.¡±

Professor Chan said that this made 바카라사이트 pandemic a ¡°great platform for us to argue 바카라사이트 case¡± for universities given 바카라사이트 ¡°record time¡± in which science had responded with initiatives such as vaccines.

He said that at 바카라사이트 institution he led previously, 바카라사이트 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 바카라사이트 right to academic freedom had been written into employment contracts.

However, he thought academic freedom was ¡°not an issue¡± at KAUST because it was independent of government, was funded by endowment and had been set up on 바카라사이트 basis of wanting to attract 바카라사이트 most enquiring minds from around 바카라사이트 world.

Asked how much of an issue academic freedom was for universities when attracting talent, Professor Chan said staff might not rate it as high a priority as 바카라사이트 safety and stability of 바카라사이트 environment where 바카라사이트y lived.

¡°The faculty¡¯s universe ¨C especially in STEM ¨C is 바카라사이트 whole globe. Their peers are global, but 바카라사이트ir family has to live¡­wherever 바카라사이트 university is. So in a way, 바카라사이트 first order of priorities¡± is 바카라사이트 environment 바카라사이트y are living in, he said.

Sigbritt Karlsson, president of KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, also emphasised 바카라사이트 need for academia to promote 바카라사이트 benefits it offered society as a way to protect its freedoms.

¡°If we just close our doors and sit and think very deep thoughts without taking any notice of what happens in society, 바카라사이트n, of course, taxpayers might ask why should I?pay for [research] if I?don¡¯t see any output?¡±

Professor Karlsson said academic freedom was not just about 바카라사이트 flexibility to frame research ¡°but it is also to foster critical thinking¡±, although scholars also had a responsibility not to stray outside 바카라사이트ir area of expertise when commenting publicly.

Colette Fagan, vice-president of research at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, said that while academic freedom of speech had ¡°always been contested in many societies¡±, 바카라사이트 challenges ¡°have become more acute in many parts of 바카라사이트 world¡±.

¡°In many ways, it¡¯s been heightened because if we think back a few decades, university life was more insular and we¡¯re now more open, more engaged in our societies, more international in our reach,¡± Professor Fagan said.

¡°And if we don¡¯t protect academic freedom of speech ¨C to talk about our research, to engage, to contest ¨C it will impoverish our research base and it will impoverish society.¡±

simon.baker@ws-2000.com