No. 113/2021

Trailblazer for academic freedom: in 2016, the Humboldt Foundation introduced the Philipp Schwartz Initiative. It was thus the first research funding organisation in Germany to offer a sponsorship programme designed to protect researchers fleeing from war and per- secution. Since then, the programme, which is financed by the Federal Foreign Office, has been emulated both nationally and interna- tionally. Since it was launched, the initiative has already enabled more than 300 at-risk researchers to continue their research work in Germany. They come from 22 countries where they had been subjected to war or state violence. Today, 96 research institutions Germany-wide have become host institutions. To mark the anniversary, the Humboldt Foundation is taking stock with its publica- tion “A New Beginning”, which features the voices of alumni, German hosts who have inte- grated at-risk researchers in their teams, and representatives of the Federal Foreign Office and the partner organisations. Illustration: Raufeld Medien, Photos: Adobe Stock, Humboldt Foundation/Selina Pfrüner ACADEMIC FREEDOM Five years of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative ADDITIONAL INFORMATION www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/ explore/newsroom/dossier-philipp- schwartz-initiative PHILIPP SCHWARTZ INTIATIVE: Thanks to the programme, alumna Anan Alsheikh Haidar from Syria has been able to build an academic net- work in Germany. 33 HUMBOLDT KOSMOS 113/2021