The purpose of the network is to:
* Promote academic freedom and autonomy
* Provide temporary work opportunities for academics who for political or other reasons (discrimination, exile, censorship, war etc) cannot carry out their work at their own institution.
Reception of candidates
Current candidates for placement through Scholars at Risk are normally communicated through SAR Global office in New York. If UiO is to accept a candidate, the Department for Research and Innovation Administration will contact the relevant academic environment to see how the candidate can fit into the environment.
There should be common academic interests and the opportunity for an academic mentor and a workplace. Salary and social costs linked to the eployment of the scholar will be covered by UiO centrally or by external funds.
The deployment period will normally be one year with the possibility of a one-year extension (to a total of 2 years). People who come through Scholars at Risk can have very different levels of competence and professional and personal needs, but normally they are researchers with a doctorate. Individual agreements on arrangements must therefore be made in each case. UiO has been a member since 2001, and from 2009 to 2023 we have had 37 annual stays for 21 candidates. In the university board's meeting in September 2016, the board decided that UiO will accept four researchers per year for the next few years, and we have had that ever since. In 2021, the UiO management decided that the UiO would accept two additional researchers from Afghanistan (2022-24).
UiO employees who know researchers in danger can contact the Department for Research and Innovation Administration to see if there is a possibility to help. In all cases, the candidate must himself apply to Scholars at Risk and be approved as a candidate by the network before deployment.
Ukraine 2022
In March 2022, the Scholars at Risk committee at UiO initiated a scheme to receive colleagues who are affected by the war in Ukraine for shorter stays at professional environments at UiO with simpler case management.
UiO granted support to 16 Ukrainian researchers through this scheme, which has now ended. In addition, UiO has been awarded two scholarships for two years through MSCA4Ukraine (2023-25).
Other activities
In August 2009, UiO established a Scholars at Risk committee which will follow up the membership. UiO wants to promote and protect academic freedom also through various other activities. Such activities can be linked to our involvement in Scholars at Risk. UiO was the coordinator of the Erasmus+ project Academic Refuge 2016-2019 in collaboration with Scholars at Risk, the UNICA network and the University of Ljubljana. UiO led a work package in the EU project InSPIREurope (2019-2022) which sought to improve the opportunities for "researchers at risk" in Europe.
UiO offers a course on the Master in Theory and Practice in Human Rights which includes the "Student Advocacy Seminar" in collaboration with Scholars at Risk. See the course description. It is possible for several professional environments to develop such courses.
Contact the coordinator for Scholars at Risk in the Department for Research and Innovation Administration if your unit is planning relevant activities.
The members of Scholars at Risk have gathered in a Norwegian section which was launched on Monday 23 May 2011 at Oslo University College.
For more information about new scholars at risk at UIO, visit : New SAR scholars guide
Contact
SAR UiO e-mail
Marit Egner, senior advisor
Department for Research and Innovation Administration