On this page you will find information about the ISC and some of our useful resources for freedom and responsibility in science.
The right to share in and to benefit from advances in science and technology is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as is the right to engage in scientific enquiry, to pursue and communicate knowledge, and to associate freely in such activities.
Rights go hand in hand with responsibilities; in the responsible practice of science and the responsibility of scientists to contribute their knowledge in the public space. Both are essential to the ISC’s vision of science as a global public good.
The Council’s Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science (CFRS) is the guardian of the Principle of Freedom and Responsibility in Science, which is enshrined in Article 7 of the Council’s Statutes.
The Principle of Freedom and Responsibility in Science: the free and responsible practice of science is fundamental to scientific advancement and human and environmental well-being. Such practice, in all its aspects, requires freedom of movement, association, expression and communication for scientists, as well as equitable access to data, information, and other resources for research. It requires responsibility at all levels to carry out and communicate scientific work with integrity, respect, fairness, trustworthiness, and transparency, recognizing its benefits and possible harms. In advocating the free and responsible practice of science, the Council promotes equitable opportunities for access to science and its benefits, and opposes discrimination based on such factors as ethnic origin, religion, citizenship, language, political or other opinion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age.
Event programme
Our flagship publication
A contemporary perspective on the free and responsible practice of science in the 21st century
A discussion paper of the International Science Council’s Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science.
Executive summary available in six languages
The developments of the 21st century offer new opportunities to advance science, but also pose complex challenges to scientific research. This paper reviews scientific freedom and responsibility today, and makes recommendations to guide the free and responsible practice of science in contemporary society. It proposes actions for scientists, research institutes and universities, science organizations, the private sector and governments to help strengthen free and responsible science as a force for good.
Find out more on the ISC’s Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science (CFRS) ➡️
Explore ISC and UNESCO Resources
Conference on the Ukraine Crisis: Responses from the European higher education and research sectors
Available in English and Ukrainian
This ISC position paper considers those A discussion paper of the International Science Council’s Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science.
Science as a Global Public Good
Available in six languages
This ISC position paper considers those implications, exploring the ways they influence the responsibilities of scientists, both individually and collectively, and how they apply in the different settings in which science is practiced.
Unprecedented & Unfinished: COVID-19 and Implications for National and Global Policy
Available in six languages
This report from the ISC highlights that decisions made over the coming years need to be informed not only by short-term priorities but also by long-term challenges, and serves as an analytical tool for policy-makers to lead to a more optimistic outcome to the pandemic.
UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers
Available in six languages
A revised Recommendation was adopted by the General Conference at its 39th session, superseding the 1974 text. Its name is also revised, to become the Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers.
UN General Comment No.25 of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Available in six languages
The intense and rapid development of science and technology has had many benefits for the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. At the same time, the risks – and the unequal distribution of these benefits and risks – have prompted a rich and growing discussion on the relationship between science and economic, social and cultural rights. Read more.
UNESCO brief on the right to science and COVID-19
Available in three languages
We have also witnessed increasing rejection of science and scientific outcomes, and growing objections to and restrictions on scientists’ work.
The ISC Community at the conference
Call to Action
Sign the Science in Exile Declaration
The Science in Exile Declaration “Supporting at-risk, displaced and refugee scientists: A call to action” outlines key commitments necessary at global level for both immediate and long-term support and protection to scholars and scientists who are at-risk, displaced or refugees, so as to build a better future for them, science and society at large.
Listen to the ISC podcast on Freedom and Responsibility in Science in the 21 century
Launched on 1 May 2023, the International Science Council will host a series of six episodes on the theme of Freedom and Responsibility in Science, in partnership with Nature. Bookmark the page to get the episode each week!
Your contacts from the ISC Secretariat
Senior Science Officer and Executive Secretary of the Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science
Special Advisor to the Committee on Freedom and Responsibility in Science