Featured Organization
PAUSE
France
PAUSE (Programme d'aide à l'Accueil en Urgence des Scientifiques et des Artistes en Exil) is a French national program established to accommodate and protect researchers and artists from countries in which the political situation places their work, their lives, and their families in danger. Because intellectuals and artists nurture critical thinking, challenge prejudice, and create a space for peaceful protest—they are the first targets in countries facing war or political, ethnic, or religious persecution.
Launched in January 2017, PAUSE is a collaborative effort of major French institutions in the higher education and research community, including the Collège de France, the French Ministry for Education, Higher Education, and Research, and the Chancellery of Parisian Universities, among others.
Considering artists as part of PAUSE’s core mission was incorporated in the initial project launch, although it took several years to implement the program for artists and identify PAUSE’s key partners such as ANdEA (Association nationale des écoles supérieures d'art) and the Agency of Artists in Exile. After a pilot program, PAUSE began co-hosting artists in 2021.
The inclusion of artists required a new approach. Artists differ from researchers as they are not affiliated with a research laboratory, their academic framework and structures are diverse, and their career paths vary. Artists require special procedures as they are hosted by diverse establishments, such as theaters and cultural institutions, with the support of the Ministry of Culture.
Upholding a French Tradition
France has a long and proud tradition of hosting persecuted artists and intellectuals. With the PAUSE program, France reconnects with commitments made during the period before the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1933, when Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany, the French government established the "Committee of Scientists" to help German Jewish scientists who were fleeing Nazi persecution. This initiative was followed by the "Comité d'accueil et d'organisation du travail des savants étrangers" (Committee for hosting and organizing work for foreign intellectuals), established by the biochemist Louis Rapkine in 1936.
The establishment of these committees reflected France's commitment to protecting and supporting intellectuals, academics, and scientists who were being persecuted in their home countries. Today, PAUSE carries on this tradition, providing a safe haven for academics in exile and helping them to rebuild their careers in a welcoming and supportive environment.
Current Initiatives
In 2022, the PAUSE program opened a special call for emergency assistance to Ukrainian researchers and artists in danger, through an emergency fund granted by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and the Ministry of Culture.
In addition to emergency funding, PAUSE is also working to build long-term support structures for artists and researchers in exile, providing them with the resources they require to continue their work in France, including financial support, research funding, workspace, and access to a network of professionals in their fields.
Through these efforts, PAUSE is helping to foster a new generation of artists and scholars who have been forced to leave their home countries due to conflict or persecution. By supporting these individuals, the program is not only upholding the principles of academic freedom and intellectual exchange but is also helping to ensure that progress and innovation can continue to thrive, even in the face of adversity.
Looking ahead, PAUSE remains committed to supporting artists and researchers in need, whether they are fleeing persecution, war, or other forms of violence and instability. These two groups are complementary as both are transmitters of knowledge and defenders of freedom, which is indispensable to a society. Through initiatives like the emergency assistance fund, the program ensures that the voices of these individuals are not silenced and that their contributions are recognized, valued, and protected.
By Olivia Zhao, October 2, 2023. Olivia holds a Master of Journalism degree from University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in Foreign Languages and Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University.