Awareness of the risks UK universities face when engaging with autocracies is “narrow”, parliamentary committee members warned during a foreign affairs session.
Giving evidence during the meeting on UK university engagement with autocracies, which focused heavily on China, Universities UK CEO Vivienne Stern insisted that member universities were following the organisation’s guidance on partnerships with institutions in autocratic countries.
Universities have both a moral and legal responsibility to protect academic freedom, Stern said.
“Academic freedom, ethical considerations, considerations around freedom of speech – they’re working through that guidance and through every case study we’ve gathered on the way. That is being enacted with institutions,” said Stern.
