THINK Academia, the World’s First Global Initiative against Bullying in the Academic Community

Cactus Communications (CACTUS), a science communications and technology company, has launched THINK Academia, an initiative that envisions a global academic culture free from all forms of bullying. THINK stands for thoughtful, humane, inclusive, nurturing, and kind­ — all the qualities that are necessary to create a better, safer, and more welcoming work environment for researchers globally.

Commenting on this initiative, Abhishek Goel, CEO & Co-Founder, CACTUS said, “The CACTUS Mental Health Survey was only the beginning of our quest to support researchers and the academic community. Over the past few years, a growing body of evidence has pointed to an alarming incidence of bullying in academia. To address this issue and highlight the problem, CACTUS has launched the THINK Academia initiative. We believe that the vast majority of researchers are willing to declare their support for best practices and also fully inform themselves on what constitutes academic bullying. THINK Academia will work towards creating a better academia – one where bullying is no longer ignored.”

In 2020, the CACTUS Mental Health Survey – with over 13,000 responses from researchers globally –found that 37 per cent of survey respondents had experienced some form of bullying or discrimination at the workplace. Also, nearly 40 per cent of respondents indicated that their organizations lacked stringent policies to avert or act against hostile behaviour in the workplace. The data further showed that bullying is one of the major factors negatively affecting the mental health and wellbeing of researchers.

One of the main goals of THINK Academia is to spread awareness on what academic bullying looks like, including certain acts and behaviours that might be subtle, non-verbal, and invisible. CACTUS is encouraging researchers and academics to embody more positive behaviour, to lead with kindness and empathy in their interactions, and to be more mindful of their actions and behaviour. Furthermore, the company is also urging academic institutions to create safer channels of communication and to implement policies that prioritize their people’s safety, health, and holistic wellbeing.

This initiative is calling several stakeholders within academia, including individual researchers and academics, universities, research institutions, academic societies, research-related organizations, and others, to sign the THINK Academia pledge and join us in our mission towards creating a global academic culture that is free from bullying.

To extend your support and get involved, sign the THINK Academia Pledge today – https://cactusglobal.com/think-academia