On 29 June, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) published a new Statement, Science Knows No Borders, condemning a new rule proposed by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that fundamentally changes the federal grant system.
If adopted, the proposed rule would fundamentally alter the conditions under which international research collaborations involving US-funded research can take place, with far-reaching implications for academic freedom, scientific excellence, and global innovation according to ALLEA.
New restrictions on collaboration
The proposal, published by the OMB on 29 May 2026, would introduce new restrictions on collaboration with broadly defined “covered foreign entities”, while expanding political oversight of research partnerships and funding decisions. ALLEA warns that these measures risk replacing independent scientific judgement with vague political criteria, and undermines peer review, institutional autonomy, and the open exchange of knowledge that underpins scientific progress.
“Science advances through the free exchange of ideas, knowledge, and expertise across borders,” the Statement notes. “Researchers must be able to choose collaborators solely on the basis of the added value of their scientific contribution.” The new rule would sacrifice research integrity for the sake of partisan politics.
ALLEA support for Academic Freedom
Restricting research partnerships would not only weaken research excellence and innovation but also diminish the global scientific community’s ability to respond collectively to challenges that transcend national borders.
This Statement by ALLEA reiterates their support for Academic Freedom in the United States and beyond, and emphasises their fundamental belief in maintaining Science as a global public good.
A Call for Collective Action
ALLEA is now calling on the global scientific community to respond during the ongoing public consultation on the proposed rule, which remains open until 13 July 2026.
Link to full news article at ALLEA website
Link to full ALLEA Statement
ALLEA – All European Academies
ALLEA is a federation of more than 60 national academies of sciences, arts and humanities in Europe. It was formed in 1990 on the initiative of the Swedish and the Dutch Academies, to foster cooperation between European academies within the fields of science and the humanities. ALLEA’s tasks are to give advice and to make recommendations regarding scientific policy to authorities, the European Union and national and international organisations, when it is more efficient to do this collectively than individually. Sweden has 3 members in ALLEA: The Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
