Scientists again warn of political interference in academic freedom
At a Saeima committee session where the Latvian Council of Science reported on five years of research funding, scientists once again pointed to attempts by politicians to interfere with academic freedom. The controversy centers on several specific studies singled out by lawmakers.
At a Saeima committee meeting held on Wednesday, the Latvian Council of Science presented a report on projects supported under the Fundamental and Applied Research Programme and their oversight over the past five years. During the discussion on the usefulness of research, scientists once again pointed out that politicians are interfering with academic freedom.
Specific projects singled out
During the session, the committee drew particular attention to five specific projects. Among them was the widely discussed study on the working conditions of "Wolt" and "Bolt" couriers, as well as a study on child-rearing in same-sex families. The singling out of these projects by lawmakers has raised questions about whether politicians should be involved in evaluating specific research topics.
Scientists' position
Scientists at the meeting repeated that academic freedom means researchers have the right to freely choose their research topics and methodology without political interference. According to scientists, this kind of discussion — where individual projects are singled out and questioned based on their content — undermines that principle.
The question of where to draw the line between academic freedom and political interference in Latvia's science funding system is not new; similar discussions have already taken place several times before in Saeima committees and among the scientific community.
