Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago
Independent academic research was once considered nonpartisan and sensible. But drastic and sudden changes to research and development policy in the United States have disrupted the landscape. Budget cuts to science have fueled uncertainty around domestic projects, as well as the future of international cooperation. Meanwhile, in Europe, research faces challenges related to sustainable funding, bureaucratic hurdles, and data protection. In an era of ongoing political and economic strain, can independent research survive throughout the West? Can the global community uphold the integrity of research without succumbing to outside pressure or undermining advancements?
Featured:
John Drakakis, emeritus English professor, University of Stirling.
Jennifer Jones, director, Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists.
John O’Connor, regent, Blackfriars Hall and Studium, Oxford.
Lisa Singh, director, the Massive Data Institute, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
Michael Scott (moderator), senior dean, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford.
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), director, Free Speech Project, Georgetown University.
Recorded June 18, 2025
Independent academic research was once considered nonpartisan and sensible. But drastic and sudden changes to research and development policy in the United States have disrupted the landscape. Budget cuts to science have fueled uncertainty around domestic projects, as well as the future of international cooperation. Meanwhile, in Europe, research faces challenges related to sustainable funding, bureaucratic hurdles, and data protection. In an era of ongoing political and economic strain, can independent research survive throughout the West? Can the global community uphold the integrity of research without succumbing to outside pressure or undermining advancements?
Featured:
John Drakakis, emeritus English professor, University of Stirling.
Jennifer Jones, director, Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists.
John O’Connor, regent, Blackfriars Hall and Studium, Oxford.
Lisa Singh, director, the Massive Data Institute, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
Michael Scott (moderator), senior dean, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford.
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), director, Free Speech Project, Georgetown University.
Recorded June 18, 2025
