Together we provide support to refugee and threatened academics who are already in Europe. The UAF advises, supports and guides these scientists in the Netherlands so that they can further develop themselves and find a job that matches their capabilities.  

The organizations involved value exchange and cooperation, because they often encounter the same challenges: raising funds, setting up a program that will last for many years and ensuring social and political support.
Budget from the EU is usually only available when the need is great, experience shows, such as with the reception and support of refugees from Ukraine. Moreover, this support is temporary in nature. Structural financing of (future) applications for support is more difficult to arrange. This often requires calling on donors.

Another bottleneck is that refugee scientists who want to continue their careers here are often unable to join ongoing research projects at universities. Not every university realizes that these academics also need a research position.
Academic freedom is another concern. This theme deserves more attention than ever. There was insufficient time at this conference to discuss this in more detail, but this theme will be high on the agenda in the coming months. In June, the European Union will launch a campaign on academic freedom to draw more attention to this issue. 

We also investigated how the program for refugee scientists can be given new impetus within our organization and in the Netherlands. As soon as there is more to say about this, we will inform you.