The EU is unlocking €500m to attract US-based researchers who wish to relocate as the Trump administration continues to crack down on universities and research facilities.
President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen announced the funding package while speaking in Paris today to launch the ‘Choose Europe for Science’ initiative – a programme intended to encourage researchers from around the world to move to the EU to carry out their work.
It comes as the US aggressively clamps down on academia and research with funding cuts and heightened pressures in areas like climate change, diversity and vaccination.
“The role of science in today’s world is questioned. The investment in fundamental, free and open research is questioned. What a gigantic miscalculation,” said Von Der Leyen. “More than ever, we need to stand up for science.”
The fresh funding will stretch from 2025-2027 and aims to make Europe “a magnet for researchers”. It comes on top of Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship funding programme for research and innovation, which has a budget of €93.5bn for 2021-2027. This year’s allocation was €12.7bn.
Von Der Leyen added that Europe will aim to invest 3% of GDP in research and development (R&D) by 2030. In 2023, the EU spent 2.22% of GDP on R&D.
She also pledged to fast-track the transformation of research projects into businesses thanks to a new European Innovation Act as well as a “Startup and Scaleup Strategy”. These will aim to “remove regulatory and other barriers” and facilitate access to VC funding.
Luring US researchers
European countries are jumping at the opportunity to attract disgruntled researchers pushed out of the US by Trump’s policies.
In April, France launched the ‘Choose France for Science’ initiative, a platform that connects French research institutions with researchers based in other countries for projects in health, climate, digital and AI, space, agriculture, decarbonation and digital infrastructure.
As part of the initiative, a number of institutions including high-profile scientific centre CNRS have started new research programmes.
French president Emmanuel Macron said today that €100m will be unlocked through the government’s France 2030 programme to support initiatives launched through Choose France for Science. France 2030 is a €54bn five-year initiative launched in 2021 to invest in innovation.
Choose France for Science has been met with some scepticism, with critics pointing out that France has recently been cutting investments in R&D. The country’s budget for 2025 slashed annual funding for France 2030 by more than €2bn while reducing tax breaks and increasing labour costs for R&D-intensive startups.
In the UK, a new scheme is being implemented to attract top international research talent. It will be backed by £50m (€59m) in public funding to provide research grants and help scientists relocate to Britain.
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