Position paper from UiB with input to the European Democracy Shield
Safeguarding democracy is high on the agenda in the EU, and a Call for evidence for the upcoming European Democracy Shield was launched in spring 2025. The University of Bergen provided input through a position paper on the Role of Research, Education and the Arts in Building Democratic Resilience.
Main content
The University of Bergen's input for the upcoming European Democracy Shield has been collected in a position paper which can be downloaded here.
Some Key points:
- The Democracy Shield should highlight the strategic role of research, education and innovation in shaping democratic resilience.
- The central role of universities for democracy should be acknowledged, both as providers of research and research-based education and as arenas for public debate, critical thinking and the dissemination of knowledge across society.
- Academic freedom and institutional autonomy should be safeguarded, and cross-sectoral partnerships between academia, media, culture, and civil society should be promoted to enhance democratic resilience and engagement.
- Research within the social sciences, humanities, and the arts (SSHA) is essential to understanding and addressing the root causes of democratic erosion, polarisation, and disinformation, and strengthened support for these fields should be prioritised.
UiB fully supports the Commission’s ambition to strengthen democratic resilience, safeguard fundamental rights, and build societal preparedness, and regards the initiative’s focus on strengthening media literacy and rebuilding trust in democracy as both timely and highly relevant. The position paper remarks, however, that SSHA-disciplines, vital to the development and safeguarding of democracies, are currently underrepresented in EU R&I policy. UiB encourages strengthened support for these fields, and a strategic use of programmes such as Horizon Europe and its successor, as well as Creative Europe and Erasmus+, to deliver long-term, knowledge-based capacity to build democratic resilience across Europe.
The position paper presents overarching recommendations to support democratic resilience, as well as recommendations for specific priority areas for research and innovation.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To support the objectives of the European Democracy Shield, and to enable universities to contribute meaningfully to democratic resilience, UiB has the following recommendations:
Overarching Recommendations
- Recognise the role of autonomous universities as key actors in sustaining democratic values through research, research-based education, and societal engagement.
- Ensure broad and inclusive access to EU funding instruments, such as Horizon Europe and its successor, as well as Creative Europe and Erasmus+, across all disciplines, including the social sciences, humanities and the arts (SSHA).
- Promote cross-sectoral collaboration between academia, civil society, cultural institutions and the media to address complex democratic challenges.
- Affirm the importance of interdisciplinary and SSHA-led research in analysing and addressing the root causes of democratic erosion, polarisation and disinformation.
- Recognise and support diverse research outputs, including artistic, participatory, and practice-based formats that engage wider and more diverse audiences.
Specific Priority Areas for Research and Innovation
- Civic and democratic education: Research on the development and evaluation of curricula and teaching that strengthen democratic values, media literacy and digital skills across all levels of education.
- Cultural heritage and identity: Studies on how cultural memory and heritage, artistic research and inclusive dialogue can foster democratic engagement and societal cohesion.
- Digital public spheres: Research on media ecosystems, algorithmic literacy, and citizens’ interaction with digital information environments.
- Journalism, AI and democracy: Interdisciplinary studies on the intersection of journalism, artificial intelligence and ethics, with a focus on the role of local and independent media.
- Legal and institutional safeguards: Research on the rule of law, human and civil rights, and the resilience of democratic institutions, including governance of non-state actors and digital platforms
