Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Speakers at Hinckley forum frame right to science as a global public good, raise access and IP concerns
Summary
At a Hinckley Institute forum at the University of Utah, two visiting scholars argued that the right to science—recognized in international human-rights instruments—should be treated as a global public good, citing paywalled research, intellectual property limits and dual-use risks such as AI.
Professor Hela Porstam of the University of Copenhagen and Professor Elizabeth Ashford of the University of St. Andrews discussed the human right to science and related access issues at a Hinckley Institute forum at the University of Utah on Oct. 24, 2025. The event was moderated by Professor Dean Chatterjee and hosted by Rory Stewart of the Hinckley Institute of Politics.
Porstam noted that the right to science is explicitly referenced in major international instruments and described both the legal basis and practical access problems. “It is mentioned in the Universal [Declaration]… and also in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” she said, adding that the covenant recognizes that “everybody has the right to benefit from scientific progress and its products.”
Porstam and Ashford said that treating scientific knowledge as a public good would strengthen democratic participation in science and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
