Nobel-awarding body warns academic freedom is under threat

As scientists ready for next week’s Nobel Prize announcements, one awarding body is warning academic freedom is under threat in the US and elsewhere, with political interference risking long-lasting negative effects.

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A bust of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who created the prestigious Nobel prizes. This year's prizes are set to be announced from next week, starting with the award for medicine or physiology on Oct 6.

(PHOTO: AFP)

US President Donald Trump has introduced or proposed a swathe of measures in his second term that critics argue will hamper education and scientific research.

Dr Ylva Engstrom, vice-president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the prizes for chemistry, physics and economics, said the Trump administration’s changes were reckless.

"I think in both the short and long term, it can have devastating effects," she said. "Academic freedom is one of the pillars of the democratic system."

The Trump administration denies stifling academic freedom, saying its measures will cut waste and promote US scientific innovation.

Dr Engstrom, who is also a board member of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, is not herself on any of the three committees that will award the prizes for chemistry, physics or economics.