People pass in front of the Faculty of Economy of the Aix-Marseille University in Marseille on October 4, 2023.
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While the Trump and Doge of Elon Musk administration seek to reduce federal workforce and reduce spending, some European countries seek to capitalize on the opportunity by recruiting talents from the scientific community.
Administration’s actions, including the elimination of programs and the financing of scientific research, encourage some researchers and scientists to consider leaving the United States in other countries, such as France, to continue their work.
According to a survey published by the journal Nature On Thursday, more than 1,200 respondents who identified as scientists said they were planning to leave the United States and move to Europe or Canada because of President Trump’s actions. According to the newspaper, around 1,650 people completed the survey, which was published on the magazine website, social media and a newsletter by e-mail.
Jennifer Jones, Director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Drop Scientists, told NPR that she spoke with scientists, some of whom are currently working in federal and others who have been dismissed. Many of them say they are looking for opportunities abroad due to a lack of options to carry out their research with the government or in universities, says Jones.
“There is also another bucket of people, and these are people who are just worried in general about intimidation, fear and harassment they face,” she said. “This could be the result of the type of work they do. They could do work on questions of diversity, equity (and) inclusion, to try to expand participation in our STEM or in our fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics. These could be people working on questions of climate change, vaccine safety.”
Jones also says that she spoke with scientists who said that after the presidential election in 2024, they “began to seek and acquired positions abroad”.
“They would have started this process before the inauguration and before the past few weeks,” said Jones.
Help as many scientists as possible
The United States has always been considered a leading country for research, after actively recruiting scientists from around the world for important projects and studies. For example, when the Manhattan project began in December 1941, it was a top secret research initiative of the American government which finally led to the development of the first atomic bombs. European scientists have been specifically sought to help with the project. Many of these European scientists were already living in the United States after being moved due to the bustle of the Second World War or fleeing Nazism and fascism.
American scientists conducting research in other countries are not a new phenomenon, and there are programs where American students and scientists can study abroad, said Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advance of Science, explains NPR. But the growing number of American scientists who plan to leave the United States due to uncertainty in the United States is not normal, he said.
“”This is something that accelerates and he has a different messaging, which says: “There is uncertainty there. Come to us ”, says Parikh of the efforts of other countries to recruit scientists and researchers from the United States.
In response to these recent developments, French schools, including the prestigious centralizedlec, have established funds to support American scientists. The engineering school announced last week that it had allocated 3 million euros (around $ 3.2 million) to funded research projects that can no longer continue in the United States, earlier this month, Aix-Marseille University-one of the oldest and largest universities in France, with roots that go up to 1409 and approximately 80,000 students-announced that it is applications for the scientific program.
The program aims to offer “a safe and stimulating environment for scientists wishing to continue their research in freedom” and will support around 15 American scientists with a total fund of up to 15 million euros (around $ 16.2 million) over three years. The university has already received more than 150 requests, according to a public relations agency representing the university.
“We are witnessing a new brain leak. We will do everything in our power to help as many scientists as possible to continue their research,” said Eric Berton, president of the university, in a statement. “However, we cannot respond to all requests to our own.
Other countries are also actively seeking to attract American scientists. For example, the Netherlands also launch a fund to support American scientists as well as those of other countries. The Minister of Education, Culture and Sciences, Bruins informed Parliament in a letter last week that he asked the country’s scientific financier to create a fund to bring the best international scientists to the Netherlands as soon as possible.
“The world is changing. Tensions are increasing. We see that more and more scientists are looking for another place to do their job,” wrote Bruins in the letter. “I want more international scientists to come here. After all, the best scientists are worth their weight in gold for our country and for Europe.”
Although it is not clear what funding will be available for the scientific research of the American government and universities, Parikh says that it encourages scientists who work here not to leave.
“In the past 80 years, we have built the largest innovation engine that the world has ever seen and has provided remedies and treatments for the disease. It has provided economic growth and jobs. And other countries have paid attention and they want to copy it and we should not facilitate their task,” he said.
Geoff Brumfield of NPR contributed to this report.
