Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2024-04-30
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Tom Clonan (IND), University of Dublin

I move amendment No. 32:
In page 11, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following:
"(g) to preserve and promote the principles of academic freedom.".
I spoke on this on Second Stage. The principle of academic freedom is very important. In the environment we are in, with a culture of cancellation, contested knowledge, disinformation and misinformation, it is very important we have an explicit statement of academic freedom. I alluded to it last week.
Some areas of research will be provocative and unpopular and may challenge deeply held received beliefs and we must have the right to have a provocative professoriate. The universities must be able to challenge established views and domain assumptions and can only do that if we have an explicit statement of academic freedom, as we do in the Universities Act.
It is a very small amendment but it has huge import and I ask the Government to consider it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2024-04-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:52:53+00:00
Sitting date: 2024-04-30