Academy in Exile

Technische Universität Dortmund

Academy in Exile (AiE), based at TU Dortmund University, offers scholars and cultural producers the opportunity to resume their work in Germany if they have been threatened in their home countries because of their intellectual and cultural work or because of their engagement in human rights, peace, and democracy initiatives. Since its inception in 2017, with the assistance of cooperating institutions in Berlin and the Ruhr area, AiE has supported 75 people with long-term fellowships, emergency bridge stipends, guest professorships, and artist residencies.

Academy in Exile’s current offerings include an Afghanistan fellowship program, an artist-in-residence program, a tandem-teaching initiative, book and journal publishing, exhibitions, public events, conferences, workshops, colloquia, professional development, and outreach. These programs and events provide a space for reinvigorating the historically inscribed principles of freedom of teaching and research.

Advocating on behalf of threatened scholars, students, journalists, and cultural producers to ensure their intellectual freedom, physical safety, and wellbeing, AiE liaises with other scholar rescue initiatives, institutions of higher learning, policymakers, NGOs, the Foreign Office, and other organs of government to promote positive systemic change.

AiE has been funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Open Society Foundations, IIE-Scholar Rescue Fund, Scholars at Risk Network, Allianz Foundation, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Freudenberg Foundation, and anonymous donors.

For call for applications check: https://www.academy-in-exile.eu/