While openness and exchange are among the most important tools of science, it seems to be becoming increasingly difficult to maintain respectful dialogue and respect each other's academic freedom when opinions differ. How far does academic freedom extend? And what tools do we have to protect academic freedom?
- Date
- Monday 20 Apr 2026, 13:30 - 17:00
- Type
- General
- Location
Cultuur & Campus Putselaan, Putselaan 178, 3073 JM Rotterdam
What will we discuss during this session?
The mission of Erasmus University Rotterdam is to create positive social impact. In other words, EUR research and education contributes to a better society and helps solve social problems. This means that EUR wants to connect with society and increasingly shape its research and education in co-creation with partners in society. This gives others a say in what we do and how we do it. But does this also mean that society can set limits on its academic freedom? And what does this mean for the role of the university as a critical, independent researcher of that society?
This dialogue session focuses on the tension between freedom of education and research on the one hand and the need to be much more “engaged”, and therefore to shape these activities together with society, on the other. How important is “academic freedom” in this interplay and where are the boundaries? Does this form of interaction not easily lead to restrictions on freedom of education and research, or even to self-censorship? To what extent should EUR academics allow their choices to be guided by factors other than scientific ones? Or is the “neutral” researcher an illusion? These and other questions will be addressed in the second (bilingual) dialogue session.
About the dialogues
We will engage in dialogue with each other during small-scale roundtable discussions that bring together different perspectives. Each table will be facilitated by a dialogue facilitator based on joint discussion agreements. There are Dutch and English dialogue tables. The input provided by participants will be treated confidentially and used anonymously for any follow-up dialogues, areas for improvement at EUR, and for the (national) output.
Program
After a joint reception and a short opening by rector magnificus, prof. dr. ir. Jantine Schuit, prof. dr. Arwin van Buuren will delve deeper into the theme: academic freedom in an engaged university. We will then split into smaller groups for in-depth conversations. The program will conclude with a plenary feedback session and joint reflection. Afterwards, we will have an opportunity to chat over drinks. Below is the general program for the afternoon, listing the most important components.
- 13:30 - 14:00: Walk-in
- 14:00 - 14:10: Welcome
- 14:10 - 14:30: Plenary opening
- 14:30 - 16:00: Dialogues in breakout rooms
- 16:00 - 16:30: Plenary conclusion
- 16:30: Social drinks
About Arwin van Buuren
Arwin van Buuren is Professor of Public Administration at the Erasmus School of Social & Behavioural Sciences and Strategic Dean of Impact & Engagement at Erasmus University Rotterdam. As a public administration expert, he constantly operates at the intersection of science and practice and has developed several initiatives in this regard, in the field of more design-oriented research (Erasmus Social Design Hub), collaboration with the city of Rotterdam (GovLab010) and conducting contract research (GovernEUR). As Strategic Dean, Arwin promotes the social involvement and significance of Erasmus University Rotterdam in a broad sense. Within this role, he works to strengthen the social embedding of EUR, increase our social impact and organise our education and research in a more impact-oriented way. He plays an active role in building bridges between EUR and society and advises the Executive Board and deans on EUR's strategy on the themes of impact and engagement.
