Researchers turn to European universities when the Trump administration cuts funds

Just a few hours after opening a new program for U.S. researchers, called the “Safe Scientific Land” to address Trump's administration policy, Aix Marseille University received its first application.

Since then, universities in southern France, known for their scientific programs, have received about twelve applications every day from seekers who the school considers “scientific asylum”.

Other universities in France and other parts of Europe are also eager to make a substantial cut in the Trump administration’s escape from work and plans, and are perceived assaults on the entire research field.

The university president said that it is not only a personal job, but also a concept of free scientific inquiry. They are also rushing to fill huge loopholes in collective research caused by cuts in layoffs, especially in areas targeted by the Trump administration, including research on climate change, public health, environmental science, gender and diversity.

If that movement becomes a trend, it could mean a reversal of long-term brain loss that transfers generations of scientists to the United States. Although at least some Europeans point out that changes in the United States offer unique opportunities for building stronger European research centers, most scholars say that competition is not a short-term motivation.

“The plan is ultimately related to indignation, and it's not normal to announce what's going on in the United States,” said Aix Marseille University principal Éric Berton.

He said the number of vacant numbers was “not large”, but the goal was to “give them a little hope.”

In France, Ax Marseille University is considered a leader in attracting American researchers.

Since the launch of the program, the Cancer Research Foundation in Paris announced that it will immediately offer 3.5 million euros to welcome American cancer researchers. Last week, two universities in Paris announced they would offer positions to American scientists whose jobs have been cut or stopped by the Trump administration.

“We are researchers. We want to continue working at the highest levels of these areas where the United States is under attack,” explained El Mouhoub Mouhoud, president of the University of Science and University of Lights.

Mr Mouhoud said the university program welcomes 15 researchers who have already worked in shared projects in targeted fields, including climate science, health, humanities and gender studies. As a result, these projects will continue to be unrestricted and American researchers can enjoy “academic freedom to conduct research.”

“It’s good for everyone,” Mr. Muhud said.

As the Trump administration began to cut work and freeze science grants, alerts from European scientific institutions began to sound, as part of its broad cost-cutting measures.

The U.S. Center’s firing is considered the weekly announcement of science’s peak, including at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Institutes of Health, the world's largest funder for biomedical research, fired 1,200 employees and put aside grants, essentially closing government funding for laboratory research projects across the country.

The cuts are because some federal agencies have removed grant applications that the Trump administration cannot accept from websites and grant applications, which attempts to clear the federal government’s “wake up” initiative. Among the terms considered taboo: “climate science”, “diversity” and “gender”.

To sum up, these actions have caused chills through academia and research institutions, and scientists are worried not only about their work, but also about the long-term feasibility of their research.

“What we are seeing today is actually censorship, a censorship system of basic values. “Yasmine Belkaid, president of the Pasteur Institute in Paris in Paris, said he moved to France after 30 years in the United States, where she led the National Institutes of Health Center for Human Immunology.

“We may lose a generation of science, a generation of scientists, and that’s something we can’t recover from,” she added. “Our responsibility is to ensure that science is protected as a whole.”

Philippe Baptiste, the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, has been one of the most outspoken European leaders on the issue. Prior to joining the administration, Mr. Baptiste, who led the French National Center for Space Research, described the Trump administration’s decision as “collective madness,” which required a quick and powerful response from the world.

“They are making decisions, not only in the United States, but the whole research in the world, because we have made a lot of plans with the United States – observing on Earth, about climate, ecology, environment, health data, the environment for space exploration, about environment, on space exploration. It is immeasurable.”

Speaking about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists working closely in their past work, Mr. Baptist said: “These people have extraordinary scientific quality, dealing with weather, climate and Earth observation. What is that? Is that thinking? Say we can't solve these problems anymore?”

Mr. Baptiste has been working with the presidents of French universities to propose government plans. He also promoted a European-wide response, including drafting a letter that was also signed by the government minister in 11 other European countries, which required coordinated efforts and contributions from the European Startups, Research and Innovation Commission.

More than 350 scientists signed a petition published this week in French newspaper Le Monde, which also called on the European Commission to establish an emergency fund of 750 million euros to accommodate thousands of researchers working in the United States.

A European Commission spokesman said a meeting is being planned to coordinate the most effective response to the Trump administration's scientific research.

In Brussels, two sister universities – Friger University’s University of Brussels and the University of Brussels – said they plan to market a program to American students, offering 36 postdoctoral positions open to international researchers around the world.

These positions are mainly funded by the EU monetary and will focus on research in climate, artificial intelligence and other fields, as well as areas that the school considers important in society.

In the Netherlands, Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruis announced that he wanted to build a fund “in the short term” to attract leading scientists in various fields. Although he did not mention Mr. Trump directly, he hints this in a letter to the Dutch House. “The geopolitical climate is changing and is currently increasing international mobility for scientists,” he wrote. “Several European countries are responding to this and will attract international scientific talent. I hope the Netherlands will continue to be at the forefront.”

German economist Ulrike Malmendier, a member of Germany's leading economic committee, urged European governments to increase investment in science to attract unemployed researchers in the United States. “The development of the United States and Europe is a huge opportunity for Germany and Europe,” Ms. Malmendier, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told Germany’s Funke Media Group. “I know a lot of people are considering leaving,” said the Funke Media Group in Germany. “I know a lot of people are considering leaving.”

Reported by Jeanna Smialek From Brussels, Claire Mosey From London, then Christopher F. Schuetze and Melissa Eddy From Berlin.