The InSPIREurope initiative was launched in 2019 by ten partner organizations, including the PAUSE program, to support at-risk researchers. This European alliance is coordinated by Scholars at Risk Europe at Maynooth University in Ireland. It is funded by the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

At a time when a record number of at-risk researchers are turning to Europe for help, no country, government, NGO or company is able to rise to the challenge. The ambitious and coordinated InSPIREurope approach provides this support.

Building on the work undertaken by InSPIREurope (2019-2022), the InSPIREurope+ project will run until 2025.

Aims

InSPIREurope+ aspires to:

• promote good European support measures for at-risk researchers;
• encourage the development of new support initiatives, particularly in central, southern and eastern Europe;
• facilitate greater coordination and peer-learning between research and innovation initiatives in Europe;
• make practical recommendations on sustaining support over the long term.

Partners

The ten founding project partners are:

• Maynooth University, Irlande (project coordinator and headquarters of SAR Europe)
• Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Foundation, Germany
• European University Association
• Jagellon University, Poland
• University of Oslo, Norvège
• University of Göteborg, Suède
• National PAUSE program, France
• Foundation for Refugee Students UAF, the Netherlands
• Aristote University of Thessalonique, Greece
• Scholz CTC GmbH, Allemagne

InSPIREurope+ also receives support from the following associate partners and international partners:

• EuroScience
• SAR Norway
• SAR Switzerland
• University of Padoua, Italy
• University of Trento, Italy
• Scholars at Risk network

InSPIREurope+ forum

By organizing forums, InSPIREurope+ aims to build bridges between academia and the non-academic sector to facilitate the integration of at-risk researchers.

The inaugural InSPIREurope forum was organized by the PAUSE program with support from SAR Europe on June 8, 2020. To access videos and a round-up of the forum, go to the website of Scholars At Risk Europe, which is the project coordinator.

Webinars

The InSPIREurope+ project organizes a series of webinars in English for at-risk researchers and also potential employers and host institutions in Europe. They are aimed at at-risk researchers in their countries of origin who are seeking refuge or who have recently sought refuge in Europe. Registration is free and open to all.

We publish the dates of forthcoming seminars in the NEWS section of our website.

To view past webinars, go to Scholars At Risk Europe website.

Publications

Inspireurope Recommendations: Expanding Opportunities in Europe for Researchers at Risk.

Download the report

Researchers at Risk: National-Level Actions in Europe.

Download the report

The Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA)

Cara was founded in 1933 by British scientists and intellectuals in response to Hitler’s decision to expel hundreds of researchers from German universities due to their ethnicity or political convictions. Today, Cara helps at-risk academics forced into exile, and those who decide to stay in their country of origin despite the risks involved. Cara also supports higher education institutions whose activities are at risk or compromised.

• Visit the CARA website

The Institute of International Education Scholar Rescue Fund® (IIE-SRF)

Since 1922, the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund has been supporting the hosting of professors, researchers and intellectuals whose lives and careers are threatened in their countries of origin. One-year scholarships, which can be renewed, enable them to be hosted and to pursue their research in higher education and research institutions internationally.

• Visit the IIE-SRF website

Philipp Schwartz initiative of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Launched in 2016, the Philipp Schwartz Initiative was created by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This fund enables German universities and research institutions to host at-risk foreign researchers for a period of 24 months by offering research scholarships. Co-funding is also available so that institutions can extend this hosting after the first two years.

• Visit the Philipp Schwartz Initiative website

Scholars at Risk (SAR)

Scholars at Risk is an international network of institutions and individuals founded in 1999. Its objective is to protect scholars and uphold academic freedoms. This organization facilitates hosting for scholars at risk by universities and higher education and research institution partners worldwide. Scholars at Risk has national sections in many countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, etc.).

• Visit the Scholars at Risk website

Artist Protection Fund – Institute of International Education

Established in 2015, the Artist Protection Fund supports artists at risk through artistic residencies at the program's partner institutions. Artists from all countries and artistic disciplines are eligible. Applications are considered on the basis of artistic merit, the quality and potential of the applicants' work, and the severity of the threats they face.

• Visit the Artist Protection Fund website

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)

Artists at Risk Connection is a project of Pen America which aims at protecting artistic freedom of expression and ensuring that artists and cultural professionals around the world can live and work without fear. Since its inception in 2017, ARC has helped more than 500 artists and cultural professionals from over 63 countries by connecting them to a wide range of services, including emergency funds, legal assistance, temporary relocation programs and scholarships.

• Visit the Artists at Risk Connection website

Science in Exile

The Science in Exile initiative brings together at-risk, displaced and refugee scientists along with like-minded organizations. They work together to strengthen the systems that support, protect and integrate such scientists. Science in Exile is an initiative led by UNESCO's World Academy of Sciences, the InterAcademy Partnership, and the International Council for Science that is designed to help the scientific and political communities enable these scientists to continue their research and training.

• Visit the Science in Exile website