As the Trump administration cut billions of dollars in federal funding to scientific research, thousands of scientists in the United States lost their jobs or grants, governments and universities around the world have found opportunities.
The Canadian Leadership Program was launched in April and hopes to promote the next generation of innovators by bringing early biomedical researchers north of the border.
France’s Aix-Marseille University began its “Safe Scientific Site” program in March – pledging to “welcome” US-based scientists who “may be threatened or hindered to their research.”
Australia’s Global Talent Attraction Program announced in April promises competitive salary and relocation packages.
“In response to what is going on in the United States, we see an unparalleled opportunity to attract some of the smartest minds here,” said Anna-Maria Aria Arabia, president of the Australian Academy of Sciences.
Since World War II, the United States has invested a lot of money in scientific research conducted by independent universities and federal agencies. Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science magazine, noted that the funding helped the United States become a world-leading scientific force and led to the invention of cell phones and the Internet and new ways to treat cancer, heart disease and stroke.
But today, the system is shaking.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has pointed to waste and inefficiency in federal science spending and granted funds at the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, NASA and other agencies, as well as cutting research dollars flowing to certain private universities.
The White House budget proposal next year calls for a reduction of the NIH budget by about 40%, while the National Science Foundation has reduced it by 55%.
“The Trump administration is spending its first few months reviewing the previous administration’s projects, identifying waste, and re-adjusting our research spending to meet the priorities of the American people and continuing our innovative strengths,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.
Several universities have announced the hiring of frozen employees, firing employees or stopping new graduate students. On Thursday, the Trump administration revoked Harvard’s ability to attend international students, although the judge put it aside.
Research institutions abroad are paying attention to relying on collaborations from American colleagues, but they are also seeing potential poaching opportunities.
“There is a threat to science … south of the border,” said Brad Wouters of the University Health Network of Canada’s leading hospitals and medical research centers. “There is a huge swathe of talent here, and this moment is affecting the entire population.”
Just like tech companies and businesses in other fields, universities around the world have been struggling to recruit each other. The unusual thing about the current moment is that many global recruiters target researchers by promising something that seems to be under new threats: academic freedom.
European Commission President Ursula von Leyen said this month that the EU intends to “give legal science freedom to study.” She spoke at the launch of the group’s “Choose European Science” in a work that was previously cut by the Trump administration, but attempted to capitalize at this moment.
Eric Berton, principal of Aix-Marseille University, expressed similar sentiments after launching the agency’s “Safe Places” program.
“Our American research colleagues are not particularly interested in money,” he said of the applicant. “The most important thing about them is being able to continue their research and retain their academic freedom.”
It is too early to say how many scientists will choose to leave the United States, and it takes several months for universities to review applications and funds, and for researchers, it takes longer to get rid of life.
Additionally, U.S. funding leaders are huge – even significant cuts may make crucial plans stand. The United States has always been the leading funder of RandD – For decades, including government, universities and private investment. In 2023, the country funded 29% of the world’s RandD, according to the American Association for Scientific Development.
However, some foreign institutions have reported that nearly half of the early interest (139 in total) of U.S. researchers’ applications for “scientific places for science and safety” came from scientists in the United States, including AI researchers and astrophysicists.
This year’s applicants have roughly doubled for the French Institute of Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology in this year’s recruitment round.
At the Max Planck Society in Germany, the Lise Meitner Excellence program for young female researchers attracted three times this year compared to the number of American scientists’ applications this year.
Recruiters who work with companies and nonprofits say they see similar trends.
Natalie Derry, UK managing partner of recruiter Wittkieffer Global Emerging Science Practice, said her team’s increase in applicants in the U.S. in the Cold War on Public Positions. When they approached scientists currently based in the United States, “we hit higher.”
She said that, for possible mainlanders, there are practical obstacles to overcome. This may include language barriers, arrangements for child care or elderly care, and significant differences in state pension or retirement plans.
Brandon Coventry never thought he would consider a science career outside the United States. But the cuts in federal funding and questions about whether the new grants were achieved made him uncertain. While he was reluctant to leave his family and friends, he applied for teaching positions in Canada and France.
“I never necessarily wanted to leave the United States, but it was a serious competitor for me,” Coventry said.
But taking over and transferring a scientific career is not easy, let alone life.
Marianna Zhang is studying how children develop racial and gender stereotypes among postdoctoral fellows at NYU, while her National Science Foundation grant was cancelled. “As a country, the United States is no longer interested in studying my problems,” she said.
However, she wasn’t sure about her next move. “It’s not an easy solution, just escape and escape to another country,” she said.
The ambitions of recruitment programs range from those trying to attract a dozen researchers to a university to the “Choose Europe” initiative throughout the continent.
But it is unclear whether the total amount of funds offered and new positions can match what is falling off in the United States
Even if universities and institutions consider recruiting talent from the United States, people are more worried than Glee with cuts in funding.
“Science is a global effort,” said Patrick Cramer, head of the Max Planck Society, noting that data sets and discoveries are often shared among international collaborators.
The goal of the recruitment driver is to “help prevent the global scientific community from losing talent.”
Scientists say global researchers will suffer if the collaboration is shut down and the database is offline.
“The United States has always been an example in science and education,” said Patrick Schultz, president of the French Institute of Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology. So cuts and policies are “very scary for us, too, because it’s an example of the whole world.”
___
The Associated Press Department of Health and Science has received support from the Science and Education Media Group at Howard Hughes Medical School and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is responsible for all content.
