SACRU Autumn School debates “Freedom of academic research” in Rome

“Freedom of Academic Research” is the theme of the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU) Fall School, which runs until October 31 on the Rome campus of Australian Catholic University (ACU).

Including lectures, workshops, case studies, and interactive sessions, the meeting explores how political, economic, and ethical pressures increasingly shape research, the impact of funding structures, the ethical balance between truth, value, and the common good, and the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence. In this way, it seeks to answer the key question “How can young researchers guarantee academic freedom while ensuring career sustainability in an increasingly regulated research environment?”, providing them with critical tools to build their research careers with integrity and independence.

The Autumn School was co-organized by scientific coordinators Paolo Gomarasca, professor of Moral Philosophy at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and Darren Sarisky senior researcher in Religion and Theology at ACU. It brings together doctoral students, academics, and researchers from the nine universities around the world that make up the alliance: Australian Catholic University (Australia), Boston College (USA), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Sophia University (Japan), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy), Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain), and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia).

The President of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Isabel Capeloa Gil, recently elected President of SACRU, presided over the opening session of the event, which is part of the Jubilee of the Educational World.

This is the second thematic school organized by SACRU, with the first edition having taken place in Lisbon in July 2024. It was dedicated to Liberal Democracy and was hosted by the Universidade Católica Portuguesa.