Academic freedom in Sweden could receive broader constitutional protection under recommendations presented by a government-appointed inquiry on 20 August. The proposals would also strengthen the legal position of university teaching, create a national support function for academics and clarify universities’ responsibilities, but they are not yet government policy and the inquiry will formally submit its report by 11 September.
The inquiry, led by Anna-Sara Lind, was appointed to examine whether Sweden’s existing rules provide sufficient protection for the individual academic freedom of researchers and teachers. Its presentation argues that academic freedom strengthens higher education and research but is facing increasing challenges internationally.
Academic freedom already has some legal protection in Sweden
Sweden does not start from an absence of legal safeguards. Under the current Higher Education Act, universities and other higher education institutions must promote and protect academic freedom as a general principle.
Freedom of research already has constitutional protection. Sweden’s Instrument of Government (Regeringsformen) states that freedom of research is protected according to provisions laid down in law. The Higher Education Act specifies that researchers must be free to choose research questions, develop research methods and publish their results.
The broader principle of academic freedom, however, was added to the Higher Education Act only in 2021 and does not have the same constitutional status.
The new inquiry therefore recommends that Sweden examine a constitutional safeguard covering academic freedom as a whole, rather than research alone. This would include what the inquiry describes as freedom in education.
Importantly, this is not yet a proposal to amend the constitution. The inquiry recommends that a further investigation, which SULF says should be parliamentary, examine how such constitutional protection should be designed.
Teaching freedom would receive clearer protection
The inquiry also proposes more immediate changes to the Higher Education Act (Högskolelagen), the Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen) and other regulations.
One central proposal is to complement the existing principle of academic freedom with explicit principles protecting freedom in education. In the conceptual framework presented by the inquiry, academic freedom includes the freedom to research, teach and learn, together with the possibility of disseminating knowledge inside and outside academia.
The inquiry also argues that individual academic freedom requires some protection for collegiality, meaning that academics themselves need an appropriate role in decisions concerning academic activities.
Its recommendations are therefore broader than constitutional law alone. They seek to clarify responsibilities that are already reflected in preparatory legislative documents and established practice and to write some of those principles more explicitly into law.
Universities could share a national academic freedom support function
Another proposal would require Sweden’s universities and higher education institutions to jointly coordinate a national support function for academic freedom.
The function would provide stronger assistance to researchers and teachers dealing with questions involving their academic freedom. Universities would also be tasked with providing training on academic freedom for public-sector employees.
The Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers (Sveriges universitetslärare och forskare, SULF) welcomed the proposals overall. It particularly supported moving forward with an inquiry into broader constitutional protection.
SULF nevertheless said trade unions should be involved in designing the mandate, organisation and governance of the proposed national support function.
The union also wants the government to send the report for formal consultation as soon as possible, allowing universities, labour-market organisations, student groups and scientific organisations to comment on the recommendations.
Other parts of university governance could also be reviewed
The inquiry recommends further investigations into two other areas that could affect university autonomy.
One would examine how Sweden’s degree ordinance should be managed. Another would consider the composition and appointment of university governing boards and the appointment of rectors.
These proposals sit alongside other government work concerning Swedish universities, including a separate inquiry into the organisational form of state higher education institutions.
The inquiry’s presentation therefore treats academic freedom not simply as an individual right. Its model places the freedom to research, teach and learn within a wider system that includes collegial governance, institutional autonomy, employment security, stable funding and the broader political and institutional environment.
For now, however, the recommendations remain those of an independent public inquiry. The Swedish government has received the proposals publicly, but the formal report is due by 11 September 2026 and any changes to ordinary legislation or the constitution would require further political and legislative steps.
The debate could ultimately determine whether Sweden moves from a system in which academic freedom is primarily a statutory principle, with stronger constitutional protection specifically for research, toward a broader safeguard designed to remain more resistant to future political change.
