Statement from the executive board of the Research Council of Norway on the consequences of the situation for research in the United States

"The board wants to be clear about the challenging international situation we are in," says Gunnar Bovim, chair of the executive board of the Research Council of Norway. It is important that academic freedom and autonomy are safeguarded in small and large decisions, in the Research Council and in Norwegian research communities in general," says Bovim.

The following statement from the executive board was adopted:

Scientific quality, academic freedom and freedom of expression are the very foundation of free and independent research and one of the cornerstones of democracy. It is crucial that international research collaboration is based on equality.

The Research Council's executive board would like to emphasise that these fundamental principles must be upheld and actively defended. Academic freedom is under pressure in many countries, and currently actualised by the situation in the United States. The Research Council's executive board encourages Norwegian research actors to resist pressure and ensure that the institutions' and researchers' right to autonomy is not inadvertently restricted.

The Research Council's executive board also asks the Research Council's administration to ensure that the same principles are followed in the Research Council's portfolio and in other work. The board provides full support to the administration's handling of the situation, nationally and internationally.