- I can understand that now is not the time when we should give Russian state institutions shine and glory.
At the same time, it is important that we maintain individual contacts with researchers who want to develop democracy or solve the climate crisis, says Erik Renström, who is the rector of Lund University.
Lund has the most Russian collaborations
Lund University has 23 research collaborations with Russia and three with Belarus.
They have now looked at the various projects and seen that several are in the final phase and will not be affected.
But some projects - such as a climate research project in the Arctic - have been temporarily halted.
And the university rector thinks that is regrettable.
- These are issues that are our core values, but at the same time we live in an outside world that we must relate to, he says.
Government: "Break research collaborations with Russia"
It was at the beginning of March that Minister of Education Anna Ekström (S), Hans Adolfsson, Vice President of the Swedish Association of Universities and University Colleges (SUHF) and Sven Stafström, Director General of the Swedish Research Council, went out together and called on all Swedish universities and research funders to suspend collaborations with government institutions in Russia and Belarus.
"Universities, colleges and research funders in Sweden have an important role in standing up for knowledge, academic freedom, democracy and human rights and showing solidarity with students and researchers in Ukraine," the government wrote in a press release.