The OPEN COST Action explores how the rise of new nationalisms and geopolitical tensions exert a growing pressure on the openness of European higher education and research and examines its implications for the future of Europe. Through knowledge- exchange and collaboration, the Action will converge diverse pan-European and interdisciplinary perspectives on the nationalism-higher education relationship and accompanying geopolitical pressures. The Action will liaise with stakeholders in the domain of higher education and research to generate ideas for addressing and alleviating the growing threats to the University’s openness and global cooperation capabilities. In doing so, OPEN will develop sustainable and transferable analytical and conceptual frameworks for future studies and collaborations, including mentorship programs for early career scholars.
In the last decade, an upsurge of new nationalisms and geopolitical shifts have amplified Eurosceptic opposition and challenged the values of integration at the root of the European integration project. These transformations in the political world in which universities operate exert a growing pressure on the openness of higher education and research and are affecting academic freedom, open science, institutional autonomy, and international engagement, including mobility opportunities. The university finds itself entangled in contrasting visions of Europe. On one hand, visions of deeper political integration, openness, and freedom, and on the other hand, visions where European nation-states (re)gain power as the locust of political sovereignty and where protectionism, restrictive regionalism, and security politics challenge open exchange with communities outside the EU. These developments have implications for fundamental values and rights such as academic freedom and university autonomy. By bringing together researchers from across European countries, OPEN will converge diverse pan-European and interdisciplinary perspectives on the university in times of crisis.
