The European SAFE project: 60 fellowships to support at-risk researchers

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Campus France and the PAUSE programme1 (hosted by the Collège de France) announce the launch of the European project "Supporting At-risk researchers with Fellowships in Europe" – SAFE. Funded by the European Union (EU), this programme aims at supporting at risk researchers from all over the word (outside the EU) through the allocation of 60 fellowships for a research stay in an EU Member State. The objective is to help these researchers to flee the threat they are facing and to safely pursue their research in an EU Member State.

Find out more about SAFE : https://saferesearchers.eu

Making the European Union a refuge for researchers in danger

Political and geopolitical crises are multiplying around the world, affecting academic freedom and threatening those who protect it. Today, 45.5% of the world’s population, 3.6 billion people, live in a country where academic freedom is completely restricted2. To address this major issue, the SAFE project - "Supporting At-risk researchers with Fellowships in Europe" - seeks to make the European Union a refuge for at-risk researchers.

60 fellowships for researchers under threat

The SAFE project will provide 60 fellowships to at-risk researchers from all over the world (outside the EU) for a research stay in a European higher education and research institution for a period up to 24 months. The scheme will be open to researchers at doctoral or post- doctoral level. The call for applications will be launched in the week of 18th November 2024. From mid-October 2024, a matchmaking phase will be put in place, during which researchers will be put in contact with potential host institutions. The recommendations of the SAFE project will help to sustain the initiative via a European support mechanism for at-risk researchers.

Campus France and PAUSE, members of the European SAFE consortium

This €12m pilot project is being funded by the European Union for a duration of 3 years. The European consortium in charge of implementing the SAFE project brings together four partners: the DAAD (coordinator, Germany), Campus France, the PAUSE programme (hosted by the Collège de France) and UNIMED (Italy).

The project is also supported by several associate partners: Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung (Germany), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), DZS (Czech Republic), European University Association (Belgium), EDUFI (Finland), NAWA (Poland), Nuffic (Netherlands), Sofia University (Bulgaria).

As part of this project, the partners will implement the following actions:

Issuing a call for applications to select beneficiaries;
Matching researchers with potential host institutions;
Managing the fellowships;
Supporting researchers;
Organising training workshops and networking events for researchers and host institutions;
Capitalising on the project's experience by presenting recommendations with a view to establishing a permanent European mechanism dedicated to at-risk researchers.

For Donatienne Hissard, Director General of Campus France, "supporting researchers at risk is a priority for France and Europe. We are delighted to be able to draw on our experience in welcoming individuals at risk".

"Welcoming researchers at risk, who contribute to the vitality of research, is in line with our shared values of freedom and solidarity. Bringing this to the European level is one of the ambitions of the PAUSE programme", says Laura Lohéac, Executive Director of the PAUSE programme

[1] V – Dem Institute (University of Gothenburg) and the FAU Erlangen – Nürnberg (Institute of Political Science), Academic Freedom Index Update 2024 (AFI).