Freie Universität Berlin Honored with IIE-SRF Beacon Award 2024 for Support of Scholars at Risk

The university was the first in Germany to join the Scholars at Risk Network in 2011. It has been a member of the network’s advisory board ever since. In this context, the university has also maintained close connections with the Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF), housed within the Institute of International Education (IIE). The university dedicates significant financial resources to helping at-risk scholars from crisis-ridden regions, often providing support for several years. The financial model for this support is rather unique in Germany, as these scholars often receive grants funded directly by the university itself. With matching support from the Scholar Rescue Fund, the university has been able to assist researchers from Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Sudan for two-year periods.

In addition, the university has served as a temporary institutional home to over sixty researchers at risk. This service was made possible in part by contributions from various foundations, including the Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp Schwartz Initiative and the Einstein Foundation Berlin. In response to the attack on Ukraine, Freie Universität also provided Ukrainian refugees working in research with over fifty short-term grants funded directly by the university. Another rather unique development was the decision to create a special advisory board at Freie Universität that has been supporting the university’s work with scholars at risk for eleven years now.

Professor Günter M. Ziegler, president of Freie Universität, states, “Standing up for academic freedom and supporting researchers at risk is a central part of our global commitment. We are very proud to receive the IIE-SRF Beacon Award. I would like to thank the Scholar Rescue Fund for this special recognition that speaks to the importance of our collaborative efforts to support refugees.”

Since its founding in 1920, the Institute of International Education has been dedicated to supporting researchers who are refugees and at risk. The Scholar Rescue Fund provides grants to researchers in dire circumstances in order to allow them to continue their work.

Freie Universität Berlin was announced the recipient of the IIE-SRF Beacon Award on October 10, 2024, at the IIE-SRF Forum in Brussels. Dr. Stefan Rummel, head of Freie Universität’s Academic Relations Unit, was there to accept the award on behalf of everyone involved at the university and the program’s mentors. Past award recipients include the University of Alberta (Canada), Montclair State University (USA), and Trinity College (USA).