In an era of shifting political landscapes and increasing pressures on universities, the fundamental principles of academic freedom and openness of research are being challenged like never before. The OPEN action’s second annual conference at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen represented a meaningful event in the efforts of the OPEN Action to address pressing issues surrounding the openness of European higher education and research in the face of rising nationalisms and geopolitical pressures.
By bringing together leading scholars from 40 countries, this second annual conference represented a collective step to critically examine diverse pan-European and interdisciplinary perspectives on the university in times of geopolitical uncertainty and threats to academic freedom.
The OPEN action’s second annual conference brought together scholars, policymakers, and higher education leaders to participate in a panoply of insightful keynote speakers, a very special roundtable focusing on Establishing a Permanent Infrastructure for Supporting Academics in Europe, panel discussions, and joint work of the working groups. Moreover, ample networking opportunities enabled participants to forge new collaborations, share research findings, and contribute to the advancement of research agendas within the EU and beyond. For more information about the OPEN Action, please visit www.opencostaction.eu or follow “OPEN. EU COST Action CA22121” on LinkedIn.
Opening keynote by Katja Brøgger and Hannah Moscovitz
Keynote by Petr Jurek
Roundtable by Prof. Andrea Pető
Speakers:
Maria Toft (Gothenburg Manifesto, Copenhagen, Denmark)
Zoltán Ádám (Scholar fired from Corvinus University, Budapest, Hungary)
Anno Bunnik (Universtiteiten van Nederland, Haag, Netherlands)
Rebecka Lettevall (Malmö University, Sweden)
David Lock (Magna Charta Observatory, Bologna, Italy)
Jaroslav Miller (State Secretary of Higher Education, Prague, Czechia)
Bo Petersson (Malmö University, Sweden)
Levent Pişkin (University of Dundee, the UK)
Artem Shaipov (Ukrainian Global University, Kyiv, Ukraine)
Keynote by Professor Hana Kubátová,Charles University Prague
Presenting reflections and actions on moving forward to build a permanent infrastructure for supporting academics in Europe.
The OPEN Action offers an annual "peer-to-peer" research colloquium for early career scholars prior to the annual conference. The colloquium supports the opportunity to share work-in-progress and engage in peer-to-peer feedback.
Petr Jurek heads the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. In this video, he talks about hosting the OPEN COST Annual Conference 2025 at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.
