27 UNIHTED: Advocacy Menu
Recommendations to the research community - actions you can take to advocate for scientific integrity and academic freedom. Last updated 6/21/2026.
Advocacy Menu
Here is a list of actions academic researchers can take to advocate for the importance of scientific integrity. The most impactful thing you can do is to get involved in one specific or local cause you care about. 27 UNIHTED will be sharing initiatives readers can join, including recurring virtual meetings for researchers and Congressional “days of action.” We have included links to our volunteer form at the end of this menu. We are developing a similar menu for patients, advocates, and members of the public. Meanwhile, there are many actions you can take: even a little bit of effort has a ripple effect, so thank you for everything you do.
Collective Action:
Join:
Join your university’s union, for example your AAUP Chapter
Partake in local community advocacy groups (e.g., Indivisible, Lions Club, Food not Bombs)
Connect with, volunteer with, & support science and public service advocacy organizations like 27 UNIHTED or Science Network for Advancing Policy, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Defend Research, Science For Good, Defend Public Health, National Public Health Coalition, Branch 4
Organize:
Approach your Congressional Representatives as a group
Publish group letter similar to the Bethesda Declaration
Work with your union or negotiate for collective bargaining rights
Work together to encourage your university or professional society to speak up
Raise awareness:
Coordinate with colleagues to share personal experience with media and opinion leaders (named or anonymous) to raise awareness and inspire action
Build community:
Form groups of people at your institution who share concerns about the state of U.S. science & meet with leaders to discuss the situation and how to push back against policies that undermine science
Plan a rally or an educational event/social event with an advocacy component
Support colleagues in your community who have experienced job insecurity or other hardship
Individual Action:
Donate to organizations defending science and democracy
Tell your story (e.g., grant interruptions, culture of fear, threats and project “renegotiations”):
To friends and neighbors
To media outlets and opinion leaders, or on social media
To your congressional offices (call, visit, email)
Write an op-ed
Blow the whistle about illegal or unethical actions at NIH or your university
Protest at a rally or event
Things EVERYONE can (and should) do
Determine your “red line” (when you could no longer do your research with integrity) and write it down so you stick to it
Talk with your co-workers, neighbors, and community members about what’s going on and hear their concerns
Be gentle with yourself and ask for help
Talk about your work and its impact to non-scientists and the public
Follow social media accounts like SaveHealthResearch, Science and Freedom Alliance, Elizabeth Ginexi, Jeremy Berg, Jenna Norton, and Anna Culbertson, and you can find us (27 UNIHTED) on Linkedin, Instagram, Bluesky, Tiktok, and Substack
Issues We’re Currently Tracking
Harmful multiyear funding policy
Peer review being undermined
Economic consequences of science under siege
Stories of Grant Terminations, Pauses, and Interruptions
NIH Employment Issues (including making employees easier to fire)
Breaking News
The Bethesda Declaration: One Year Later: On June 9th 2026, Organizers of the Bethesda Declaration authored and published a report outlining their continued concerns following the publishing of the Bethesda Declaration on June 9th, 2025. Many of the issues that 27 UNIHTED have been tracking are outlined in this report. 27 UNIHTED recommends that all scientists read it to better understand the issues researchers are facing, and as a useful resource when figuring out how to fight back and when.