The UM and the Udice alliance support the “Stand up for Science” initiative
The University of Montpellier and other Udice member institutions are joining forces with the “Stand Up for Science France” initiative, calling on the French scientific community to take action to denounce and confront the threats to science and scientific research in the United States.
Since Donald Trump took office, the American scientific community has been confronted with drastic measures—budget cuts, researcher layoffs, and the elimination of key programs—that compromise freedom of research and international cooperation.
In response to recent decisions by the Trump administration, the Academy of Sciences on the one hand, and the "Stand Up for Science France" movement on the other, are calling on scientific communities to denounce these threats and take action. The University of Montpellier and other member institutions of Udice, an alliance of research-intensive universities, have joined this movement and reaffirmed their commitment to academic freedom and scientific dialogue at the international level.
Essential to understanding the world, science is based on fundamental principles of freedom, integrity, and cooperation, which guarantee its positive impact on our societies. Jeopardizing these principles undermines our collective ability to address the major challenges of our time.
Echoing the call from the French Academy of Sciences and in support of the "Stand Up for Science France" initiative, the University of Montpellier and all members of Udice invite their scientific communities to actively seek ways to maintain ongoing scientific collaborations, ensure free access to high-quality scientific data—an essential principle of open science—and express their support during the movement on March 7, 2025.