The European Union is presenting itself as a safe destination for academics facing funding cuts in the US as it tries to attract top talent with higher grants and freedom for research.
As US President Donald Trump freezes billions in funding for top universities until they give in to a list of demands, the European Union (EU) sees a chance to attract the finest scientific minds and scholars to the bloc.
The EU commission and several European universities have announced a slew of programs aimed at offering academic freedom to US researchers if they relocate to Europe, especially those targeted by the Trump administration in the fields of immunology and communicable diseases, climate change and social sciences involving gender studies, diversity and migration.
European academics have said that, as their counterparts in the US faced political interference and job loss, they were compelled to act and offer whatever help they could.
European universities open doors to US researchers
“It is outrageous, unjustified,” Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council (ERC), the bloc’s public body for scientific and technological enquiry, told DW over the phone. “I have many friends and colleagues in the US and it is just shocking to see what’s happening there.”
Jan Danckaert, Rector, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), described it as “painful.”
“Researchers should be protected as much as possible from political influence. But in the US we see precisely the opposite. The government is interfering for political reasons,” Danckaert told DW.
VUB has allocated funding and established a contact point for information for outstanding scholars looking to relocate to Brussels, particularly “excellent researchers currently working in the US who see their line of research threatened.”
“We thought that it might be good to specifically advertise in the United States,” he said, “because US scholars see an abrupt funding cut and they might be interested in continuing their line of research with us in Brussels.”
The VUB has already received dozens of inquiries from US scholars.
Aix Marseille University (AMU) in France has launched the Safe Space for Science program to recruit up to 15 American scientists who may feel threatened or hindered in their research and wish to continue their work in an environment conducive to innovation, excellence, and academic freedom.
“We believe we can raise up to €15 million ($17 million) for a three-year program and will work with local institutions to host around fifteen researchers,” a statement by Eric Berton, President of Aix-Marseille University, reads on the college website.
The EU promises easier visas, more funds for relocation
Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation, stated that the EU was closely monitoring recent developments across the Atlantic and stood ready to assist.
“Europe sees you,” she said, reassuring American scholars as she presented Europe as an attractive location to pursue their research.
In a letter signed by twelve European governments, including Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Greece and two Baltic nations, member states called on the commission to come up with concrete measures to attract US scholars.
In response, the EU has said it is working on a new visa strategy , to be released by the end of this year and has launched a new project to provide higher allowances and longer recruitment periods for top researchers who relocate to Europe.
In parallel, the EU has decided to double the grant money provided to scientists and scholars chosen by the ERC, which assesses applications from all over the world. The increase in relocation costs comes at a time when researchers in the US are facing a battle with their government.
Zaharieva stated that the ERC currently offers a €1 million top-up for relocation costs, but the EU will increase this amount to €2 million this year. This will increase the starting total grant to €3.5 million and the advanced grant to €4.5 million for each grantee over a five-year period, allowing them to establish a research team if necessary. Any grantee must have held a PhD for at least two years.
ERC President Maria Leptin told DW that the additional funding for researchers moving in from outside Europe, now set to increase, helps cover “unusual costs” such as “moving a lab or research team to Europe or purchasing expensive equipment” required for a research project. But added that the grants were not a “freebie” but merit-based.
In addition, the EU has decided to enshrine freedom of scientific research within the EU law to enhance its appeal among scholars and offer the certainty they need to move their lives abroad.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-seeks-to-attract-american-scholars-as-trump-freezes-funds/a-72311714
