Researchers, lectures, students and other intellectual groups worldwide are being persecuted, threatened and hindered in the work as a consequence of their research, ideas, ideology and other academic activities. The international network «Scholars at Risk» stands up for academic freedom and for the human rights of academics in the entire world.

The support of researches and lectures who are threatened and persecuted in their home countries is one of the core tasks of «Scholars at Risk». Politically persecuted researchers are being offered a guest stay at one of the member universities of the network which enables the researchers to carry out their research independently at least for a limited time. Another task of the network is the support of imprisoned researchers, the support of public relations at universities promoting freedom of research and lobbying activities in connection with this topic.

«Scholars at Risk» was founded in 1999 as part of the human rights program at the University of Chicago. In the meantime, the administrative management has been taken over by New York University. The network has more than 450 members worldwide and 15 of these are in Switzerland.

By joining the network, the Thurgau University of Teacher Education supports the network's crucial efforts and commits itself to the principle that university members in the whole world should be entitled to work at liberty without fear and threats of intimidation.