SEACAF 2026 Call for Thematic Research Proposals
Call for Research Proposal: Academic Freedom in Southeast Asia
Academic freedom in Southeast Asia is increasingly under threat, closely tied to the region’s broader trend of democratic backsliding. Like other human rights defenders, academics and students who speak out on issues of social justice face constant risks—including state surveillance, administrative penalties, criminalization of dissent, and informal restrictions on what may be taught, researched, or published. These threats are even more acute in areas affected by armed conflict or where governments invoke national security to justify tighter control over academic spaces. The rise of youth movements in the recent years in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are the cases in question where they face harsh state repression.
Beyond direct political suppression, academic freedom is also constrained by the growing influence of neoliberalism in higher education. Universities across the region are pressured to align with market and state priorities, often at the expense of critical inquiry. Institutions increasingly prioritize rankings, key performance indicators (KPIs), and publication metrics over academic integrity and intellectual exploration. The commercialization and corporatization of universities reduce opportunities for producing transformative knowledge, while the drive to produce labor for economic growth narrows academic agendas to utilitarian ends.
Despite these pressures, academics, students, and university personnel remain at the forefront of defending academic freedom, freedom of expression, and the right to association. However, their efforts often receive limited public support, as the concept of academic freedom remains poorly understood and insufficiently discussed in the region. There are also limited mechanisms to defend academic freedom, especially in almost every Southeast Asian country where collective action of university staff are not permitted.
To build knowledge on the emerging trends of the state of academic freedom in the region,the Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF) is supporting research that gives insight into how academic freedom is understood and practiced in diverse Southeast Asian contexts. The researchers will also be invited to be part of the SEACAF advocacy efforts to promote and protect academic freedom through participation in public seminars, policy dialogues, and disseminations of the research findings to the stakeholders.
Research Themes
For 2026, SEACAF will support 4 research projects that fall under one of the following themes:
Collective Actions on Academic Freedom – Forms of collective actions taken in defense of academic freedom in Southeast Asia. Factors shaping the roles of academic workers unions in protecting and defending of academic freedom. Prospects, challenges and lesson learnt from such collective actions. Potential models of collective action beyond academic workers unions.
Monitoring Academic Freedom in Southeast Asia – Development of indicators that reflect the specific political, cultural, and educational contexts of academic freedom in Southeast Asia. Review and assessment of existing and potential protection mechanisms for academic freedom in the region.
Neoliberalism and its impacts on education – The governance of academic institutions as affected by the emphasis on global university rankings, the normalization of key performance indicators (KPIs), the “publish-or-perish” culture, the adoption of corporate-style quality assurance systems, among others. How do such neoliberal higher education practices affect academic freedom in practice?
Artificial Intelligence and Academic Freedom – The effects of AI on education, knowledge production, and critical thinking. Application of academic freedom principles on AI policy in education.
The research must involve detailed case study from one or more countries in Southeast Asia.
Research Grants and Process
A virtual kickoff workshop for researchers will be held to refine the research framework and methodology. Researchers will join online regional research meetings with SEACAF to enhance regional analyses and share their findings. SEACAF may assign a research mentor to selected emerging scholars.
Researchers will also present their findings at policy dialogues scheduled for September and October 2026 in Bangkok.
Deliverables and Timeline
The final baseline study will be published as a full report and a policy brief. SEACAF, in consultation with researchers, will arrange translations into selected local languages.
Date Milestone
10 April 2026: Deadline of research proposal submission
20 April 2026: Announcement of selected researchers
30 April 2026: Virtual kickoff meeting
31 July 2026: Submission of the first draft
31 August 2026: Submission of final report (12,000-15,000 words) and policy brief or other output as approved by SEACAF
September to December 2026: Policy dialogues; Publication and dissemination of the report and Policy Brief
Research Grant
The call is open for both individual and team researchers. The research grant is 90,000 Thai baht per a research project. The grant shall cover any expenses related to data collection.
SEACAF will translate (into local languages), publish and disseminate the research outputs as agreed between the researchers and SEACAF. It will also facilitate the researcher’s attendance at the policy dialogue sessions in Bangkok.
Application and Qualifications
Applicants should meet the following criteria:
In-depth knowledge of human rights, academic freedom, and higher education in their respective country.
Strong research experience and a record of publications on relevant topics.
Proven experience working with civil society and human rights defenders.
Availability to participate in online meetings with the regional research team and attend a policy dialogue session.
Emerging scholars are encouraged to apply.
Interested applicants must submit an application form via link below by 10 April 2026, 10:59 PM EDT.
