Circle U. has selected eleven projects for its 2025 seed-funding round, supporting new academic, professional and student-led initiatives across the alliance. The funded proposals reflect the alliance’s commitment to interdisciplinarity, sustainability, inclusion and long-term cooperation among its member universities. Each month, we spotlight one of these projects.
Strengthening the foundations of open and inclusive societies
Universities play a vital role in producing knowledge, encouraging critical thinking and fostering inclusive environments. Yet across many parts of the world, academic freedom, evidence-based research and principles of equity and inclusion are facing growing challenges.
The seed-funded project Safeguarding Academia and Equity: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Communicating the Societal Value of Evidence and Inclusivity (CREDO), led by Ivana Nikolić, was created in response to this context. The initiative seeks to build a multidisciplinary community of researchers, students and staff committed to defending and communicating the value of academic freedom, equity, diversity, inclusion and evidence-based science.
By creating a sustained space for dialogue and collaboration, CREDO aims to equip participants with practical tools and strategies to advocate for the role universities play in supporting democratic and inclusive societies.
In this article, Ivana Nikolić explains why the project matters and what participants can expect this year.
Why does this project matter?
This initiative is a direct response to the deliberate and escalating erosion of the pillars that sustain democratic societies: trust in evidence, institutional academic autonomy, and the principles of inclusion and equity.
The current socio-political climate makes this project not only timely but essential. It functions as an active, interdisciplinary intervention. By gathering an international consortium of academics, experts, civil society partners, and students, we move beyond analysis to agency.
Ivana Nikolić, Project Leader (University of Belgrade)
Together, we will provide a critical understanding of these challenges and co-develop practical tools and policy recommendations.
The direct impact is twofold:
- First, we will build a sustainable, living network for a skilled community empowered to advocate effectively for academic integrity and equity.
- Second, we will produce publicly accessible resources that amplify this collective voice.
What will you achieve within the project this year?
The cornerstone of this year’s activities is a three-day international workshop in Belgrade this October.
The workshop brings together participants from Circle U. partner countries and beyond for an exchange of knowledge and experiences. Each day is thematically focused: first understanding the challenges to equity and academic freedom, then analysing their cross-disciplinary and cross-national impacts, and finally creating actionable strategies to address them.
The format blends expert inputs with facilitated small-group discussions, case studies, and strategy sessions. Participants will gain a clearer interdisciplinary understanding of current challenges, practical skills to communicate the value of their work, a personalised set of steps to advocate for equity in their own roles, and direct connections to a supportive international community of peers and mentors.
In essence, this workshop is the project’s engine, designed to transform concern into capability and individual effort into a powerful, coordinated community response.
