This high-level symposium on “Academic Responsibility in a Fragmenting World”, co-hosted by the World Health Summit with the Manipal Academy for Higher Education (MAHE), marked the launch of the WHS Academic Alliance and the Lancet Commission on Academic Responsibility.
In an increasingly fragmented world, science provides the knowledge and innovation needed to confront humanity’s most pressing challenges. Together with politics, the economy, and society, academia shares the responsibility for addressing these threats effectively.
Academic responsibility operates in two directions. Internally, it encompasses scientific integrity, the pursuit of high-quality and relevant research, the integration of societal needs into academic processes, and active, transparent communication of scientific findings with all stakeholders. Externally, societies must safeguard and promote academic freedom as a fundamental driver of innovation and social progress.
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The message from the participants of the event was clear: In a fragmented world, responsible, free, and engaged academia is more essential than ever. Key takeaways from the event included:
Academic responsibility works in two directions.
It requires internal commitments to scientific integrity, quality, relevance, and transparency and external commitments from societies to safeguard academic freedom as a foundation for innovation and progress. Absence of academic responsibility leaves a vacuum for misinformation and distrust in science.
Science must engage with society.
Producing knowledge is not enough. Academia must actively communicate, listen, and respond to societal needs, building trust through openness, accountability, and independence for societal change.
From degrees to impact.
Academic institutions are increasingly called upon to act as catalysts for social good, translating evidence into action and contributing to solutions for global challenges. And effective responses to today’s complex health and societal challenges demand closer cross-sectoral cooperation.